Sam had a little more trouble with the crowd, though not much; despite his size, he had a way of making himself unobtrusive. He'd have found her at the sea otter exhibit even if she'd gotten away from him, but he managed to keep track of her even when she got ahead of him. When he caught up, he joined her at the glass.
Resting one shoulder against it, body slanted diagonally towards her with his head turned to look at the otters. "Being solitary isn't really the problem," he said. "It's the feeling of being alone. Easier to handle solitude when you have a little closeness sometimes."
He sobered a little, thoughtfully. He had more close relationships in his life here than he had at home, and he wouldn't say that he felt alone. Isolated was a better word, probably. He felt isolated from Dean, and a little bit from Cas too, by extension.
There had been a quote that he'd read, yesterday, that had captured the feeling perfectly. I used to think that the worst thing in life was to end up alone. It’s not. The worst thing in life is to end up with people who make you feel alone. A Robin Williams movie that he hadn't seen and now probably wouldn't. It would probably hit too close to home, and it would be hard to watch a depressing movie while being aware that maybe it was actually somebody's life somewhere.
Pushing those thoughts away, for his sake more than River's, he spoke up again. "They're also one of the few animals that use tools--rocks-- to hunt and feed. I always thought that was pretty cool."