And now Junilla appears in the dark, atop a wide bridge spanning two buildings. There's basically a wall of glass-covered white and gray buildings surrounding kim, including the one at the other side of a grass courtyard full of trees and playground equipment. The darkness is nearly pitch-black, and were it not for the full moon, ke might not be able to see more than a few feet in front of kim.

This is very alarming! Junilla is very alarmed! Ke squawks in alarm, an awful shrill noise which is audible for a considerable distance, and gently gathers up the egg, protecting it instinctively with kis body while ke tries to work out what has just happened, looking around in all directions with kis long sinuous neck.

Suddenly, a wave of lights in the buildings to both sides of ker light up, ker eyes being blinded for a moment. Then a minute or so later, a human woman runs out, dressed in a practical dress worn over a pair of overall, together with a transparent film mask covering her mouth. She looks at Junilla, totally stunned.

Junilla is rather stunned also! The snake was not very helpful and she isn't entirely sure of this - weird monkey-looking creature? - either. Ke shifts the egg to one side so ke can brandish the kitchen knife menacingly and hiss, "Stay back!". Ke also has rather menacing looking wing-claws on the tip of kis wings, although ke can't really bring them to bear while cradling the egg, which looks like it could contain a large human baby or a rather small toddler.

The human woman looking at Junilla stands totally still, very deliberately not moving towards her. "I have no reason to hurt you, you don't need be scared", she says. "You're protecting that egg. We can help you keep it safe. You can relax here."

Okay, so, it speaks. That's. That's one up on the snake?

Probably ke should put the knife down. Probably ke is overreacting because ke has recently laid an egg in a very stressful situation, and now ke is on a - bridge between ships? - and nothing makes any sense.

Ke puts the knife down, gently, to better cradle the egg.

"It doesn't look very safe here," ke explains. "I'm fine with heights, but not without anything suitable to carry the egg in?"

Ke is really botching first contact protocols and should feel ashamed of kimself, but the egg is more important, and apparently whatever it is speaks kis language so maybe someone else has already done the first contact and ke is just completely out of touch? Ke has been pretty busy planning the family boat and not paying much attention to the news, although ke would have thought ke would have remembered something like that.

The woman begins keeping her hands up as she continues speaking to Junilla. "Well, I'm sure there's - something we can make that's suitable for carrying the egg in! You can follow me, and I can show you a place that looks safer! It's a room designed with mothers in mind. It sounds like that's what you want."

"...yes, if you have a hatching chamber, I don't think it's going to hatch right away but it came early and I'm not sure how long it's going to be."

Junilla very carefully shuffles in the indicated direction; ke is extremely sure ke is not really dextrous enough to be moving an egg around on a terrifying bridge between vessels, but at least the waters are clearly very calm right now, as the bridge is remarkably stable.

"Hatching chamber, no! Comfortable and spacious room perfect for you and your child, yes! It's just a quick elevator ride and a few corridors away, come with me." She leads Junilla through one of the doors and into an obscenely spacious elevator, taking it up a few floors before finally leading out into a corridor. She brings Junilla to a door, opening it to reveal a bedroom that easily accomodates a king-size bed. "Not a hatching chamber! Probably the best we have."

That is... a remarkably smooth - elevator? More like an entire moving room, mildly disorienting that it had even moved at all! So much less clanking and wobbling than even the really nice hospital elevator she'd been on.

Ke waddles into the indicated room with the soft nesting spot, and gladly deposits the egg in the huge nest, fussing at the covers until they are ramped up on all sides and it will have a hard time rolling onto the ground.

"Do you have, uh, rails that attach to the nest, to stop it rolling? It feels warm enough here and I think it will be okay for the moment, but if I try to sit on the bed it's going to tilt towards me and if there's nothing to properly stop it rolling off I'll have to watch it."

"Nno, but a crib is sort-of-rails, and I can easily find one of those!" She nods two times, very slowly, before rushing off and coming back with an extra-large crib. It's made of a special plastic that makes it very unexpectedly light, even if she's also carrying in some extra blankets. It slots in neatly in the gap to the left of the bed. "Our beds don't have rails! But... the crib is enough, right?"

"Ah, yes, a little nest just for the egg, that should do nicely." Ke very gingerly lifts the egg out of the makeshift nest and arranges it in some blankets in the crib. "There, much better!

I'm sorry, I have had no manners at all. I'm Junilla Secondbreakfast and I'm very thankful for your work in hosting me."

The woman wearing the transparent mask nods back. "Caretaker Clarissa 145332, but really, calling me Clarissa is the only option that makes sense in all honesty. I am glad to be at your service! While also being at the service of this center's many other women. Of course. Do you wish to see the bath, or do you just want to settle in here?" 

"I'd - rather like some idea about what's going on, if that's okay?

This is a hospital vessel, then? I have some credit with Seacalm, but I came through laying quite well and if you're not in a reciprocal arrangement, I hope I'll be able to repay credit once...

Uh, I don't suppose you are in communication with anyone who could reach the rest of my family? They must be very worried."

"What's going on, is that this isn't a vessel or Seacalm at all! When it comes to  repaying, I'll quite a bit of my money for now, so don't worry. I'll tell you if things start straining my wallet! And unfortunately, I can't even conceive of a method of contacting the rest of your family!"

"Oh, dear. Well, I suppose you should show me the bathroom, then, and maybe how I can get food? And then I'll be settled for a bit, although if you've got a terminal I can access or, pen and paper I suppose, that would be nice."

Junilla feels quite tired all of a sudden, and really just wants to nestle down in that nice soft looking bed for a bit, once the necessities are definitely in place and there's no more immediate danger.

"...Yes. Getting food will be a mild issue at the moment. But only at the moment."

She leads Junilla towards the bathroom, revealing a spacious room with a combined tub and shower in the corner, placed inside a shower cabinet. There is a wide sink placed on the left wall, working as an extra wide changing table, together with a relatively low, squarish toilet placed against the opposite wall. The entire room is painted a stark white, with even, warm lighting that's at once inviting and makes the big room feel even bigger.

"To order food, you'll have to ask! What dish is the one you want the most, at the moment?"

That is a... spectacular hospital bathroom! It'll be really useful if ke can't get in the sea, which is sounding like a lot of effort. Ke could do with a nice stiff feather brush but ke's sure there must be one round here somewhere.

"This... is just for me?"

Ke is feeling a little light-headed, from the relief, and also... there's no movement, is there? None at all. Hospital vessel must have been the wrong word somehow, but this ship must have excellent stabilisers. Ke supposes that's a really good thing to have on a hospital vessel, in many ways, even though it's slightly disconcerting.

"I'd just like whatever fish you've got most in, I think, ideally something white - ooh, if you happen to have swordfish and it's not too much - maybe simmered in nut milk if you do that, almonds if you've got them? And just some seaweed, not especially fussy, dulse is good. Got to keep my mineral intake up after making all that eggshell!"

"Well, yes, the only door in is from your bedroom. We... kind of have all the fish we could ever want, outside of swordfish, unfortunately. I can bring you any breed of tuna you want, with coconut milk and the sweet almonds, I'm pretty sure that's a thai seafood thing? And... I'll ask the chef to add some... seaweed, I know people eat it, just not the kinds there are." She taps away on her phone. "I can get you everything but the swordfish! What are your favorite fish types outside of swordfish? So you can finally get some food in your stomach."

"Tuna sounds great, if you've got yellowfin even better?" Ke'd normally not be quite so specific in this kind of situation but the - creature? person? - did offer any breed of tuna, it would probably be more rude not to take - it? them? - up on it.

"Better how? We have all kinds of tuna! We can get you bluefin or something else! Uhh..."

"More like swordfish, more solid flesh? Don't worry if it's a hassle, any kind of fish will do. Maybe not sea cucumbers, I never did like sea cucumbers."

"I'll get you the yellowfin, it's still fine!" She taps her phone a bit more. "It's on it's way now, don't worry! Just, relax and spread your wings! Yes." She looks at Junilla with an awkward grin on her face.

That is - some kind of facial expression! Junilla should make some kind of facial expression. Junilla is way too tired to make some kind of facial expression, so ke obediently spreads kis wings instead. It feels a bit weird doing this in a room, not out on deck, but... it's actually quite, freeing? To have the space to do this?

"Thank you so much," ke replies, in lieu of trying to work out how to smile without accidentally looking threatening instead. Normally ke'd tuck kis wing around someone if ke wanted to express that kind of sentiment, but ke doesn't know whether that will be actually taken as friendly or not, these - entities - do seem to like their space.

She nods. "I'll be happy to help you, more. If you don't need anything now." She points at a button hidden on the wall next to the door leading into the bath. There's an image of a baby bottle, above an illustration of a heart made with a dotted line. "Touch this button gently, if you need to call us for help. It can be for something like caring for the egg, or answering your questions. Hit it hard if it's a medical emergency. If you can take things by yourself for a while? I'll be nearby."