Submerged deep under the water, Heine can do nothing but swallow and occasionally kick convulsively. He can see the other thicker appendages, each full of eggs, and panic makes him run out of oxygen even more quickly. It's only a minute or two before he feels unconsciousness dragging at him again.

The ovipositor entering Jade is slow but steady in its progress, careful not to damage its new mate as it sinks into Jade's body. Once it's settled, it pulsates, sending another spurt of slick in ahead of its first egg. The eggs are almost perfectly spherical, without any tapered shape to help it it takes a certain amount of effort from the creature to push one egg from its ovipositor into Jade's passage.

A second is quick to follow. It shoves the first one in deeper when it enters Jade. After that the frequency of the eggs is higher, but uneven, the creature eager to lay its clutch in a receptive mate.