As the troll touched their heads together, Zap felt a stir of fondness mixed with minor surprise and a dash of guilt. It might've been the severing of their magical connection that had led Nate to draw nearer. He tended to leave no stone unturned, especially if it concerned his abilities and his work.
It was snowing. The lightning rod had no idea Caltrops was even capable of such whimsical conjuring. She smiled as the cape was readjusted with her adviser's aid. "Your angel is showing," she accused the Worthington cousin. Then he brought up their Wonder Twins jewelry and Zap's eyebrows rose as if she hadn't noticed. What? Rings? She made a humming noise in her throat, a long pause as she considered her excuse options, similar to what someone might've seen in one of the children. Hell. "I've been blocking it." Thus, the guilt. She watched Nate's eyes, because they were the most telling part of his often-wooden face. Blocking the connection for as long as she had, while projecting the illusion that it hadn't been severed at all, was taxing. But it had been a few days, by then, and she had to acknowledge that her actions had probably caused her weakened state. "I haven't been feeling like myself lately, and I wanted to re-center." Find some peace, so to speak. Drowning out as much white noise as possible turned out not to be much at all. Especially at her current locale. Of course, it had also been in part because of her clouded connection with Mr. Zale. The warning Baldr had given her was on her mind always since their conversation. "Don't worry," she said, smirking to help console him: "I'm not throwing out my friendship bracelet."