Sitting on the edge of the bed, Katharine studied her Medicine of the Heart vial, swishing the liquid back and forth like it was a test tube of an unknown liquid. She was in the only spare bedroom that the Clock Tower had, where Julius had advised to rest so her body could heal. She did what he said, even if it was extremely difficult with her curiosity growing. But now she was wide awake, her senses now on high alert.

She had found the vial in her front left pocket before she went to sleep again (crushing her headphones, much to her irritation), deciding to study it after she had rested. A part of her wondered if Julius knew she had this, and what his reaction would be if she drank the thing willingly.

"Hmm..."

Opening the lid of the vial, Katharine poured out a tiny bit of it onto her fingers, feeling that the liquid was very thick and warm. It surprised her, expecting it to be a lot like water, but it was very clear that it was anything but that. Closest thing she could describe it as was slime or mucus that formed around snails and others like it. Drying her fingers against her pants, she studied the liquid for another few seconds.

If it wasn't for the fact I was in Wonderland now, I would just dump this useless liquid down the drain. However, knowing how this thing works...

If Katharine drank the liquid, that would mean she would be for sure trapped in this world for a good while, being forced to do much socializing and having God knows what happen in the process. But it could be just as risky not to drink it.

There was a chance she might be forced to choose to stay or leave the country before finding her friends, who may or may not be stuck here if they drank their medicines. There was no way she would leave them behind, nor did she want to leave till she got the answers to her many, many, many questions. Pros and cons to both, each bring out her curiosity...

"...What the hell. It's for science."

With a shrug, Katharine ended up drinking the whole thing in one big gulp, feeling the heavy, thick liquid go down her throat. It tasted sour and sweet. Bitter, cold, and warm...it was the most inconsistent thing she ever drank. Ever.

Though I suppose the Medicine of the Heart is connected to one's feelings. And ever since college, my feelings have been extremely unstable... So I guess it is to be expected.

She sighed heavily while she put the vial back in her pocket, looking out the window to see it was still a night period.

I wonder if Julius is still awake...

Remembering how on edge he was after she revealed that all he had ever known was fictional...it would probably be in Katharine's best interest to explain herself more.

Damn it, I really screwed myself over. First I blurt out valuable information that could have been useful later. She paused in thought. ...Then again, it could be worse. I could have said this to Peter, Vivaldi, or worse Blood.

Thinking over the situation more, it would appear that maybe Katharine was not as screwed as she first thought. Feeling that she had rested well enough, she decided to leave the guestroom. She walked down the narrow, curved hallway. Her room was not far from Julius's workroom, only a few rooms down, where she then gave a soft knock and cracked the door opened slightly.

"Julius, you still up?" Katharine asked.

She saw him sitting behind his desk, fixing a clock with great concentration.

"Yes, I'm still up," Julius replied, stating the obvious. "Did you sleep well?"

"I did, thanks." Closing the door behind her, she walked up to his side. "So...how many clocks have you fixed since I went to bed?"

"Several," Julius replied, his gaze remaining on his work. "I lost count about half way through."

"I see..."

There was a short silence, Katharine's gaze moving around the room as she desperately try to think of something else to say. Really, it was hard for her to look at Julius, a feeling self conscious taking over her making her more socially awkward than usual.

"This 'manga' you mentioned earlier... Can you tell me about it?"

She blinked as she realized that Julius was talking to her. She took in a deep breath.

"Well...it's a long, complicated story. You see..."

Really having no choice at this point, Katharine explained all she knew about Alice in the Country of Hearts. While she never had played the games, she was quite knowledgeable on the mangas based off them, going into great detail what happened in the main series. Plot wise, though leaving out some details like Blood's true relationship to Vivaldi and such. Not wanting to make things more insufferable, she left out the spin off books where Alice was paired up with a different guy in each one, only mentioning Blood's romance and Peter's affections towards her (since it was 'cannon').

God I hope this is BloodXAlice, since that pairing is forced in the most. She paused in thought, her blue eyes growing distant. Which begs the question if Alice wasn't with Blood in this universe, or timeline, whatever, who would she be with?! Peter? No...probably not. Boris? More plausible. ...Ace? I guess...

"That's...interesting," Katharine heard Julius say, shaking her out of her theories. "You described everything that has happened since Alice showed up so...accurately."

Katharine blinked. "...Yep." Was not dozing off on you... Nope. "Uh...so, does that mean Alice lives with you? I haven't seen a trace of her since I've been here. Is she visiting the others or something?"

Julius's eyes grew dark.

"...She used to live here, but after her relationship with the Hatter grew stronger..."

His voice trailed off, where he didn't bother to continue. Nor did he need to, for Katharine quickly picked up the meaning.

So now Alice has moved in with Blood? Guess that would have to happen eventually. I wonder how well they get along now? Is Blood's his stalkerish incarnation, like how he was in The Mad Hatter's Late Night Tea Party? Or is he actually cool and complex, like in the main series and Circus and Liar's Game? I wonder how long they have been officially together... How well did the other role holders take it?

She could imagine that Peter took it as well as expected...by losing it completely and destroying half of Heart Castle. Or causing the temporary apocalypse, either one she could believe.

"...Now that you are awake, what are you planning to do?"

Katharine blinked, now noticing that Julius was talking to her.

"Err...what did you say? I didn't quite catch that."

He sighed. "I asked what you were planning to do now that you are awake. Are you going to search for your friends?"

"Oh! Yeah, I will be," Katharine answered with a nod. "While also taking the time to see the Country of Hearts and learn all I can."

Her gaze brightened up.

"Speaking of questions...can you tell me about the clocks? How is it possible for them to work as hearts? Does it produce blood? I know you guys bleed...or is the oil that they are made of your guys' blood? Are our hearts the only thing that makes us different? Are fixing clocks and reincarnation the only way you guys reproduce and keep life going? And if you can reproduce in other ways, what-"

"One question at a time! Please!"

Julius's face was beginning to turn red, him rubbing his forehead and groaning.

"I can answer all your questions, just stop talking so fast!" he exclaimed, trying to regain his composure. "I can barely understand what you are saying."

Katharine closed her mouth slowly. Really? Even here she talked fast?

Damn it...

Seeing a light form from the corner of her eye, Katharine turned to see that the time period had changed to day.

"Thank goodness the night finally ends..."

Julius stood up from his desk, placing the now fixed clock the side.

"Before you do anything else, let me buy you a pair of shoes," he said. "You'll need one to get anywhere outside the Clock Tower."

"Uh..." Her eyes grew wide. "...Thanks, but you don't have to buy me new shoes..."

"I have to, you have no money."

"...True, but-"

"It's fine. You can pay me back later."

He walked passed Katharine, her turning around to make sure she faced him.

"Okay," she said, "so I need to make you a pot of coffee or something?"

"Do you know how to make coffee?"

"...I can figure it out with a little bit experimentation...eventually..."

She let out a small, uneasy laugh. Julius sighed heavily in reply, rolling his eyes.

"We'll worry about that later," he said. "Come on, I'm a very busy man and would like to get back before my work piles up again."