"I don't tend to blow bubbles," replied Alice thoughtfully, "but I'll remember your advice." Really, the mere thought of being able to have a proper bath for the first time in years was already lifting Alice's spirits. If this place was a hallucination, it wasn't bad, as far as Alice's mad visions went - and that alone was almost enough to convince Alice she wasn't delusional, at least not at the moment. Given her past experiences, however, she would have to get a little more proof than this, especially considering her escort, who had previously been bound to Alice's Wonderland, tucked away in her own psyche.

"Much better," Alice agreed. She was all too used to having nothing, and that had certainly contributed to her current mental state. "And you really should set up shop, Hatter. It will no doubt do you and the city much good. A gentleman can never have enough hats."

Her shoulders stiffened at the thought of her heart being stolen. "Well," she said lightly, trying to keep her voice from trembling, "I hardly intend to seek such creatures out, but one never knowns when one may be unexpectedly cornered." She couldn't repress a shudder as she remembered Nurse Witless, already so unpleasant, beginning to morph into that creature. "I'm fully capable of taking care of myself, Hatter." When I'm sane, that is, she added in her thoughts.