Underwater Abode

"That's enough." You bolster your voice above their own and clasp your hands to each of their heads. Despite their forward aggression, you actually manage to pry the two away from one another. Your eyes glare between the both of them before gazing to Gold, "...You already had your fun and blasted the hell out of him the other day when we initially met. He's a hot-headed fire-type, so clearly he shouldn't be such a threat to you, yeah? He tries to spit even embers at you, you're welcome to douse him down in some water."

Gold cocks a brow at that, being played into his ego some; but Jackal's own pride was struck by such a comment, getting him to flare up more. "What the shit is that? You're on his side now-"

Your eyes immediately trail over and release Jackal's head from your grip to add, "He's being a dick, but it's not like you have to eat the guy right now, not when he can still house us for a night. If he tries anything, there's two of us, and we've handled him once before. He does so much as threaten you again, you're welcome to go in and eat up, big guy. I won't stop you, hell I'll help you."

Jackal blinks at that, at first opening his mouth to retort to you, but a begrudged grin of hunger does end up on his face. Gold is now the one that worriedly blinks. "Q-Qwuh...? That fuckhead, eating me? You gotta be kiddin'..." The duck looks to the now malicious and toothy smile on the Typhlosion. The taller, wider male stands before the Golduck, with the aquatic bird merely glancing to the rather round middle of the Typhlosion; who knows just how much he's eaten since the apocalypse, or even beforehand. "...me..." He gulps audibly before shaking his head. "...No way! You expect me to just...to just...let you stay after all this?"

"If you both play nice." You suggest with arms crossing lightly at your chest. "Then neither of you will have to deal with the other. But if either one of you tries something, you risk a bad outcome with my help. Gold, if you really want to get one over on Jackal, let us stay and if Jackal fucks up, have at him."

The Typhlosion growls at that at first as he licks over his mouth. "Oh I pray you try somethin' then, squirt. You'd get the deep trip of where you belong." He pats his own big stomach while Gold just lowly grumbles.

The duck aims a finger up at the Typhlosion and retorts, "...W-Well if you do anythin', I'll show just how big you can fall when you let this 'squirt' fuck you over and take you down."

With a smirk, you rest a hand on each of their shoulders between them again. "Good. Sounds like we have a deal?"

Gold scoffs and rolls his shoulder to free it from you, simply turning his back to the fire-type. "Tch...yeah, yeah, fine. You can stay. But for just the night, got it? If you snore, I'm kicking you both out, or worse!" He simply approaches the lakeside and steps through the shallows of the water. He aims at a tree and large rock area protruding from the surface of the lake itself, "Under there's where my home is. I ain't gonna hold your hands to show you the way, so just hold your breath, swim down, and there's a tunnel and an air pocket you can surface in. If you drown along the way, that's your problem."

And with that, the blue duck dives into the water, disappearing through its deep coloration towards the pointed area.

Jackal rolls his shoulder as well and grunts, "You got a funny way of siding with your friends, Lace."

"I'm just glad you consider us friends still." You muse back, but you explain afterward to him that it was your only real way of ensuring Gold wasn't threatened, but not too threatened, by Jackal's presence. The duck had to feel like he was in control of the situation where a problem probably wouldn't arise, but if it did he could handle it. But with too much confidence, he very much may go out of his way to harm and eat Jackal. You were to be the median between them; a stalemate of egos. Gold was stubborn, and admittedly naive, so you played the situation how you could.

Jackal huffs, but a playful smirk was visible on the side of his face that you could look at. He stares at the lake water for a moment, as if contemplating, all before mentioning, "...I'm surprised that even worked then. But I mean it when I say it. I hope he tries something, cause then I'm making you rub the twerp in for trying to make me seem I could ever lose to that stupid duck." He gives his middle a threatening slap before leering to you. "It's the least you could do for making me suffer a night with him. Let alone make me have to swim. I fuckin' hate going underwater."

"Hey, if he's to be believed, it won't have to be for long." You answer back before setting your belongings and small bag underneath a rock area at dry land, eventually taking your turn to step into the water afterwards. "...I meant it when I said I'd help you feed on him after all too."

Jackal smirks and asks, "You're that honest, huh~?" You grin as well before taking in a long breath. You haven't really had many chances to practice holding your breath or swimming underwater, but you genuinely prayed for Gold's honesty as well for the trek to not be too deep for your lungs to endure. You hear Jackal from behind to ask, "So...wait. Hang on. Does that mean you were being honest about letting him try to eat me?"

Water sloshes against your folded ears as you immediately dive into the water, muffling the world around you and denying Jackal any answer to that question. Your cheeks bloat out while your lips retain all of the pressure in your mouth and lungs in the dark water. It was hard to see from how late it was and being in not the most crystal clear of waters. A muffled splash behind you signals that Jackal likely dived in now too, but being as equally blind. To alleviate the situation, you focus enough to ignite some of your own aura along your sensors and emanate a soft blue glow. It lights up part of the lake-bedding and the glimmering surface above you, enough for you to see Jackal over your shoulder, catching up to the now living light source.

You gaze through in a forward motion, before seeing a cluster of rocks together piled some, with an open crevice exposed. Swimming to it, you waft right on through, going through a curtain of roots as Jackal has to really squeeze himself in through; his hips nearly denying him entry. Perhaps it would be a mental warning to him that he shouldn't go around eating just anyone anymore if it threatened his life now.

But, you see a rippling surface just above you, right when your lungs dryly ignite with fire. You paddle your arms up and ascend the tunnel of water, eager to feel air once again. You can't help but see wads of bubbles drift up past you, and in a glance down, Jackal coughs some bubbles out and struggles to fish them back into his hands, having to cup his mouth and swim with one arm. He was worse at holding his breath than you were, but it was to be expected considering his typing. He probably avoided swimming in deep water as best he could.

You surface first then and gasp for oxygen, taking in a good chest-full before heaving a bit and climbing out over the ledge. Your sopping wet form drags itself onto a smoother rocky surface, rolling over to give space for Jackal as you're on your back, huffing to breathe once more. Strangely enough, it wasn't completely dark in this cavernous space. A soft, aqua hue glows throughout the room from several glowing mushrooms dimly lighting the place up, revealing hanging trinkets of shells, other rocks, some vegetation, and Gold's own bedding. Soft moss and grass was bundled together in a rather primal nest, but it certainly beats sleeping on hard ground.

Gold himself was standing close over you, chewing on an apple rather loudly as he crunches a bite of it around in his mouth. "...Congrats, you're not as bad as a tadpole when it comes to swimming."

You sputter for words back, but nothing but the desire of air exudes from your throat. Still, you were waiting on Jackal as you hear more bubbles ripple from the tunnel's water surface. You manage to get out while pointing, "...Get, hhf, Jack."

Gold perks a brow, gives a very sloooow and lazy look to the water, and hesitates to actually consider the proposal. He takes another bite of his apple to smack on before tossing the core over his shoulder, stepping closer over the water's edge and fishes a hand down. After some tugging, you see the duck stress to heave up the Typhlosion's arm, followed by a gargling head of Jackal surfacing out. The soggy fire badger slumps his chest at the rim of the surface and struggles himself out, kicking about and coughing up water. "Glh-uhgk! Ouhk...oughh...!"

Gold steps back and shakes his wet hand, "Ey ey ey! Don't you dare even think about throwing up in my place! You puke, you're going back in the water for more, ya hear?"

Jackal grits his teeth and leers up at the Golduck from his hands and knees, absolutely drenched with water pouring off of him and lining down under the center of his belly to trickle off from. He sputters like you however, and just wants to take mouthfuls of air. The duck scoffs and simply treks to his nest and slumps back into it with his legs up, arms spreading out to relax and recline on. "...Good. House rules. Number One: Don't touch my stuff, or you're goin' down my beak, or worse." He points between his legs, insinuating his cock. "Number Two: Don't talk when I'm asleep, I like my beauty rest. Number Three: No jackin' off either. I don't know what you guys do, or if you do each other, but not in my place, got it?"

Jackal snarls, "Wh--- The hell are you sayin'?! We ain't that kind of pair!" Despite how wet he was, fire ruptures from the previously extinguished pores on the back of Jackal's neck in his flustered rage.

Gold sits up more and points a finger to the flames, "Rule Number Five! No fucking fire!"

"I think you meant number four you stupid-" Jackal begins to snarl, but you interrupt him.

"No he's partly right. You might burn too much oxygen in here and smoke us out." The Typhlosion's eyes snap to you, but you did have a look of seriousness. "He probably didn't know that, but let's just keep a cool head for now, yeah? We got a place to stay, and it's somewhere I doubt any feral's gonna find us."

Gold grunts without much confidence, "...Tch. I totally knew about the smoke thing. Duh..."

Jackal just growls in a disappointed manner and closes his eyes, snorting in anger at first, but he eases his breathing, which ends up dwindling the fiery pores of his mane. Snuffing them out, he sighs, "There. No fire. Happy?" The Golduck just rudely rolls a hand to show that it was good enough for now.

...It took some time, but both you and Jackal inevitably catch your breaths and start to make camp within the cavern, as best as you could anyway without your bags. Gold didn't have much moss padding to spare for his bedding, leaving you and Jackal to fend for yourselves. There was a smaller moss bed, but only so much as for a pillow. To save any future frustrations, you offer to Jackal that he can be the one to use it. The Typhlosion has a look of guilt initially at first, selfishly wanting it, but also feeling too ashamed to really keep it. You assure him it's alright. Personally, anything that makes him less irritable was going to be beneficial for both of you.He settles in a place and actually manages to sleep flat on his back, despite his previous concerns about Gold. The fire-type was exhausted after the day; the trip through the bog and the near-drowning doing him in.

This left you simply reclining against a rock wall a bit uncomfortably, but your own body was aching from the day, and the soreness your leg wasn't fairing any better after a trek and a rough swim. Hex had done a well enough job wrapping it up and tending to it, but it wasn't a do-all cure. Even Gold notices this as he idly lays on his cozy bedding, arms crossed under his head as he idly bobs a talon over a knee to count the minutes until he sleeps. Still, he meets your eyes occasionally, and it's bizarre. Sometimes he scoffs silently to himself and just redirects his attention back to the ceiling, or he'll open his beak to say something, but not utter a word.

Eventually, he just grunts...

1. "...So uh...what happened to your leg?"

2. "...Go the fuck to sleep already."