Although Cole was listening to Willow, his gaze had a way of being distracted by her mouth as she spoke. "If you don't read the news, what do you read?" The little blonde was far too inquisitive not to be literate, though she did seem to favor hands-on experience. Still, she seemed to crave information and exploration, and he couldn't imagine her passing up the wealth of knowledge and conjecture passed down from every person who'd come before her.
She was still very innocent, of course. Her outlook wasn't jaded by the passing of time. Perhaps she was the type of person who would be able to hold onto that for as long as she lived. Cole's smile was somewhat indulgent as his gaze met hers and he offered her a slight shrug. "We're all on a path toward self-destruction. It's the nature of being. Evolution. Change. There is no beginning without an end." He toyed with the damp strands of her hair as he spoke, his tone thoughtful but light. It wasn't the first time he'd had a conversation like this, but the end had long passed for on those relationships. He certainly didn't sound as impassioned as Willow had, might have been accused of simply playing devil's advocate, and he didn't press the issue when she continued to tell him about her usual news sources. That she wasn't addicted to platforms like Facebook and Twitter and Instagram did cause him to raise a brow, however. She was so young that it seemed like a given. Wasn't it the preferred method of communication and exhibitionism these days?
Her question in the next moment pulled an unexpected laugh from him. "No," Cole said succinctly. "I am not. Are you?"