"Hmm? Oh, no worries," Billy answers a little belatedly, lifting his head from where it's buried in yet another book. There's a stack that's practically a fort built up around him on the desk he's chosen, more books than one could practically read at any given time, but once Billy commits to something he commits a hundred percent. Besides, he isn't sure what he's going to need to know, here. It seems like anything could happen, from what Tommy's told him and what he's gathered from the others. That stack is why it maybe takes him a moment or three longer than it would for him to notice the tiny, weird-looking cat perched on Alex's shoulder, but when he does, he lights up, standing up from his seat to get a better look.

"Hey--is that a cat?" It doesn't look exactly like a cat--are those feathers?--but it's tiny and adorable and the first one he's seen, which means it's impossible to resist moving closer to get a better look.