[She takes in all of that before she even speaks up. And, well, first things first - some confirmation.]

Gears... That isn't a new sound. Anyone with incredibly sensitive hearing can pick up on a grinding, mechanical noise while they're here.

[She's heard it herself, for one - but only because she was pointedly paying attention, after having read about a previous case, someone who used to be here but doesn't seem to be anymore.] So, no. It isn't entirely hallucination, even if I haven't heard any of the... scuttling you've mentioned.

[She crosses her arms. She really is remaining entirely neutral about this. No, she doesn't think Menzies is off of her rocker. She could probably stand to be a little more sympathetic, though, but she's also working under the assumption that Menzies will be okay if she just pulls herself together and focuses. But... maybe that is positive reinforcement after all - because she actually believes Menzies is capable of doing so, unlike other humans.]

Nightmares are always troublesome. Is there anything in your world that can give you sleep without dreams? Medicine, herbs, rituals...?