[He gives him a smile, and a rather fond one at that.]

I assure you I have seen worse. [Much, much worse, but then again he has 6000 years of meeting people under his wing. Of course Rich's little and completely understandable freak out over this barely registers.]

But, if you don't mind me asking... did you really always think that? Or did the SQUIP make you think that, to keep you listening to him? Because you've seemed a bright young man from day one to me.