Ronan says nothing for a long moment, instead looking to the left of Adam. That's what he'd been afraid of, when Adam said nothing about the Lace or the test he obviously passed, because of course Adam would pass his test. Adam is beautifully, incandescently smart in a way that makes Ronan simultaneously want to shield his eyes and never look away.

"I met Bryde," is what he finally decides to say. In the gaps between the words is the larger conclusion: there was a whole period where Ronan couldn't contact Adam, and now he's wondering if this had anything to do with it. "It didn't solve anything."

If anything, Ronan would say that it made everything worse.