Firestone Hot Springs and that's the skin again

several things were currently occupying okeanos mind, in no particular order:

• having successfully completed his original goal, in significantly less time than anticipated, he was somewhat at a loss to what happens next, and:
  
• trying to balance "winning mal's trust after a childhood filled with conflict and onesided hatred" with "i want to spend every minute at mal's feet until he finally gets it through his pretty and thick head that i like him" and:
  
• there's easthollow, he'd like to visit it and meet @Ibis' friend, if she hasn't gone already, and maybe that's a good next step? and:
  
• cam, and oh, poor lily, and he should bring cam right home, but the poor boy seems like he needs a reprieve, and, well, who better to keep him safe and sound in the meanwhile? but:
  
• are his mothers okay? are they safe? are they worried sick about lily's missing son? are his own brothers okay? really, he should go check on that, but:
  
• it's scary and all, frankly, a bit overwhelming for him right now.
  

what he really needs to do is talk to his sister and see what she wants to do. she'd also seemed very affected by the news, more deeply than he, even -- which, given her sensitivity, makes sense. it strikes him that this independent adult thing is really not all it's cracked up to be. how is he supposed to know what to do?

unfortunately, instead of taking steps to solve any one of these conflicting thoughts, okeanos takes himself next to the forest, to the hot springs he'd spotted at a distance. the smell of sulfur is thick in his nose, and dimly he wonders if there's some sort of benefit to the springs (more to justify trying them out to himself than anything else) as he slides into one of the deeper pools, feeling his muscles tense and slowly relax under the heated water. just a.. quick soak and then he'll find ibis, and sort this all out, surely.