"Thank you!" says a placard. Then: "Only the first drink is free, but I work to make sure drinks are priced reasonably."

Giggle. "I can afford it. ...Assuming reasonably means what it does back home."

"I would hope it does."

"Glad we can agree. Oh, hey, I had another question since we're talking- what's with the ribbons and branches and stuff?"

"They're for winter holidays! Many are popular in the multiverse and the Landlords have decided to have a holiday event."

Grumpy face.

"Does the Queen of Winter not approve of winter holidays?"

"Not of Christmas."

"What's Christmas?"

"...Complicated."

"It's the birth anniversary of a common - type of person, in many worlds, who's often a religious leader and founder. It's celebrated by their adherents in various ways. In Narnia, that person is one of my greatest enemies, and he begins growing stronger on Christmas. So, I froze the advance of time so every day would be solstice day - a few days before Christmas, when winter is at its greatest extent."

"That seems kinda sad for everyone else."

"I don't particularly care. Magic ensures they have enough to eat, and now no one grows old; they should be grateful."

"When someone says should in that tone of voice it usually means they don't want to admit they made a mistake about how other people think..."

Grumpier face! "A few miscalculations might have been made," she concedes. Grumpily.

"Maybe you could have some other, non-Christmas holidays? Just to keep things fresh, if it's the same day over and over that would get boring- wait, actually, how does that 'freeze time' thing work? Do you still have day and night? Is it like a time loop thing?"

"It's not a time loop," she says. "Changes to the world created by beings persist between days, and there are still day and night. But the sun never grows stronger, and the days stay short and cold, and nothing changes of its own accord."

"Honestly, that sounds kind of depressing to live through."

Grump grump. "I like it. The world is peaceful, and quiet, and - enclosed."

"Well sure, snuggling up is good sometimes, but that can't be the only thing. People have to get out and stretch their legs sometimes too."

She turns away from Eridani. "I do not wish to argue about this."

"Okay." That means she knows Eridani is right but doesn't want to say so. Depressingly common, really. She drinks more of her drink and pats the bar in thanks. It's a really good drink.

"So it must have been pretty tricky to set that time lock up. Sounds like high sorcery."

She turns back towards Eridani. "It wasn't my greatest work, but yes, it was a most impressive undertaking."

"How long did it take you?"

"Oh... Just a few hundred years, give or take."

"Just a few hundred years, she says. Like that's not a lifetime's worth."