It was probably telling that after the initial shock where his heartbeat rose and adrenaline kicked in, that Ace's first thought was 'Nancy was going to lose her mind if she found out'. Ace stared at the broken piece of equipment on the sidewalk, his chest rising and falling more acutely even if he hadn't been running. It looked like Temperance's curse was getting bolder. This was bad.
After the shock wore off, Ace finally registered the man who saved his life. He looked up and took in the guy whom Ace had never met before. ".... Thanks." He was still a bit in shock.