Rich gives the kitten a few scratches on his belly, but... yeah, he's definitely not paying much attention to adorable cat friend right now. He didn't realize that his comment would be studied so fiercely, but perhaps he should have expected someone with experience in cybernetic stuff to pick up on it.

"I... I..." He's not sure if he should talk about it. He doesn't really want to talk about it. He flinches when V's eyes turn green, scrambling backwards just slightly, while the SQUIP in his brain feebly buzzes with static.

"Did you... do something to it? P-Please don't try to wake it up, okay? I don't want it on anymore! I r-really don't!" At least not now, not for a long time. Even the possibility Jack offered... he's going to hate every minute of it, and if it gets activated early, he doesn't know how he could survive with it.