"Can't conjure through the - magic door?"

"Bar security prevents that kind of thing. And yes, it's a magic door, Swan opens it to Revelation, the kids all open it to Hazel, I open it to Tirion. You would probably find it opens to your apartment, or similar."

"He opens it to a house in Washington?"

"It's where he grew up, I take it."

"I see."

"I mentioned this already, but - when he walked into Milliways for the first time, time paused in the world he'd left from. His summoner was on a planet whose location was known only to him, and access to his entire dimension was controlled by him. I recognize that for reassuring the public, "he could have done anything he wanted" is not as reassuring as 'he's in prison', which is to be honest with you the only reason there are protective measures in place at all, they're certainly not necessary for our safety. But they are in place, and they are adequate; Milliways has security metaphysically guaranteed to be able to handle the job, and we have time travel."

"How would security handle misuse of the time travel?"

"Swan doesn't have access to the time travel. What kind of misuses are you thinking of?"

"I don't have any in mind, but if you state that the security is categorically sufficient..."

"The security could successfully arrest someone with time-travel powers, to be sure. I don't know specifically how they'd do it, we could go inquire."

"Maybe on the way out." She looks around the office. "It looks so ordinary. Well, Elfily decorated, but."

"Not the seat of a magical power far beyond our comprehension, yeah. A bar. I partially invited you here because it sounds like such an absurd claim."

"A bit. Bar with a hotel on top."

"Populated mostly by teenagers who are waiting until we figure out how to unpause their world, and the daeva they have taken up with."

"How long have they been here?"

"Time doesn't pass consistently in different parts of Milliways, so it's not the same answer for each of them. Timothy was seventeen when he found it and counts himself almost nineteen now; Minor's switched to keeping his birthdays by Revelation time..."

Nod. "Is it a nice place to grow up?"

"- it's not where the fork of me who has children would raise them, let's say that. I don't think they are being exposed to damaging influences. It's probably much nicer than a wizarding school in 1802 - no one here beats them -"

Shudder.

Yeah. "They were disturbingly nonchalant about it. I did pull Timothy aside to make sure that they didn't have - similarly disturbingly low standards for romantic relationships -"

"Is Swan generically dangerous -?"

"Not at all. He was summoned unbound to our world, you know, made his summoner a bowl of cherries and then asked his mom if there was anyone he should talk to to explain about demons."

Sigh.

"I don't blame you for finding us - obnoxiously idealistic."

"Not really obnoxious about it, but - very."