Nolan felt both better and worse heading out from the hot spring. Better, because he now had so much ice to work with, and he could shape it into just about anything. He wouldn't have to feel so vulnerable anymore, not even around Lina. She could make a little steam, but he'd be fine around her as long as she didn't directly attack him. And Nolan sincerely hoped that wasn't a risk.<br/><br/>But he also felt worse after spending so long in that heat. Holding this much ice around was starting to take a lot out of him. If not for the meat he'd had earlier, he likely wouldn't even be able to walk. At least the pain in his hand had eased up a little. The heat and cold combined had somehow done something for it that neither could on their own. That made him think of himself and Lina, and he smiled at the thought.<br/><br/>"Maybe we'll be lucky, and we'll find a cave. That might be a safe place to fortify." That was the goal, eventually. He much preferred living life in a static location to constantly being on the move. It was safer, because you could stockpile food and weapons, and come home to a real bed instead of having to make due with whatever shelter you could find. More importantly, a cave would be cool enough for him if he moved deeper, while Lina could make a fire at the mouth just for herself.<br/><br/>Nolan let some of the ice melt off him, and felt a little better. There was a limit to how much he could hold up at once. Lina had it easier, she could just conjure up fire whenever she needed it.<br/><br/>"Actually, now that I think about it, if we want to find a cave we should go the other way. This river had to start somewhere, and it was probably on a mountain."