Francis smiled huge at the nod, he had some tiny hope for the first time in a while. He would have celebrated with the priest if he had some wine or anything on him.

"Being compassionate for someone others would cast out could make others think bad of you. If people don't like someone, the friend of my enemy is my enemy or something like that?" He said allowed. "Not that any one else knows about my past in this town. Well, I mean Father Richards perhaps has a hint. I sort of made a joke when I saw him before." He admitted with a grin.

"Ah," Malachi dipped his head in sudden understanding.

Mister Tully was not the first person to say something like that to him. In fact, he'd heard more warnings in his life than anything else, and had already been labeled as... somewhat unconventional, in certain spaces. It did not scare him, the thought of being looked down upon or gossiped about for having simply offered a listening ear. Others could make of his methods what they would.

"I will not speak for Father Richards, but you do not have to worry about me, Mister Tully. I'm here to serve God and all of his people, not build a worldly reputation."

As for... making jokes with Father Richards, well...

"Anything you share is safe with me," he assured, and leaned slightly closer to be heard when he continued in a whisper.

"If I might ask it of you, though, I would appreciate it if you tried not to joke with Father Richards when you see him."

The other priest had more than enough to deal with already. Malachi knew not the full extent of it, but he knew enough to assume that teasing was not what he needed, no matter the intended nature of it.

Francis nodded and stretched out his arms as he was able to safely relax for a while. "I appreciate it. I wish there were more people like you then. Maybe I wouldn't be here I am now." He wondered if he'd ever get this priest to trust him with more important duties, like handling that lock box. He was certain it had more than wafers in it.

His head lolled back towards Brennan and he stared at the man as if finally looking at his face and not just at what he represented. "Don't worry. It was a momentary thing, I find an embarrassed priest rather funny. He was nice to me too, so I don't care to hurt him in body or mind." He smiled and looked away to check the place. It would take a long time to get the place looking really clean, but if he did it once it would be easier work as long as he kept it up. It was a good thing he had no friends to look down on him for this sort of thing. Not that he was doing it for charity, he was the charity.

That answer wasn't fully reassuring, what with his admission of finding amusement in the embarrassment of priests, but it would have to do.

Malachi met Mister Tully's gaze when it landed on him. It wandered the church again just as soon, but Malachi didn't follow it.

"I can help you," he said then, sensing that he must have noticed how much work the church required, with his glance about. It was far from filthy, but any building had to be maintained. One could hardly force all of the parishioners to thoroughly clean their shoes before they walked in.

"If you want me to, that is, I can assist whenever you decide to help out around here."

Francis shook his head and scratched his head. "No need. Idle hands are the devil's workshop or what the saying is? If I'm earning my food and bed, it isn't a problem to take care of it. It all doesn't need to be done at once. You're supposed to be helping people and getting us closer to god, right? You can't be spending time wiping pews or washing windows." He chuckled and couldn't believe he was agreeing to this nonsense. It was mostly because he had stuff to think about thanks to Brennan and he'd remember that at least for now.

"If you feed me now I'll start after it's all hit my belly." He said with a small grin sitting a bit straighter as he was thinking about the promise of food.

Idle hands, yes. Malachi smiled at that, small and polite. Mister Tully had a point: there was plenty of work for Malachi to do that didn't involve the actual cleaning of the church, but he wouldn't have minded regardless if it would have made the task any easier.

"Ah – of course," he lifted from the pew. "Follow me and we'll sort something out. Were you in the presbytery, the last time you visited?"

Francis watched him stand and then stood to follow. His arms hung limp as he followed closely but not too closely. He had promised to behave.

"I've not been in here once. Your other priest, Richards. He fed me, let me sleep, bathe, and borrow clothes. " There was a smile transfixed to his face as he seemed to remember something comical.

"He may not wish to see me, so you can say sorry on my behalf. Maybe. " He then let his eyed fall upon the priest and wondered about him. He was way older than him but no taller. It was hard to tell from the clergymen clothing but he seemed slim.

Francis' smile grew.

If he did decide to try to steal something , he could definitely take him if he tried to steal something.

Mister Tully had been helped in such a fashion before, then. Malachi nodded as he stepped out from the pew, though his thoughts lingered there a moment longer. Father Richards was a kind man, and must have shown Mister Tully a similar welcome previously. Why, then, had Mister Tully not returned sooner? Why did he still view their church in such poor light?

Maybe it wasn't about that. Maybe there was something else to it all, beyond the man's bitterness.

"I make no apologies for the actions of other people, I'm afraid," countered Malachi, quick as a whip. "God forgives all."

It was such a blanket statement, but how perfectly it wrapped around anything he wanted.

Malachi smiled then, glancing back at his follower as he passed through the door of the sacristy and continued on, towards the presbytery.

"What exactly did you do, if I may ask?"

"Well you may be a man of God but you're still just a man. It's silly to shoulder that burden." Francis chuckled as he walked along and glanced around simply out of curiosity as he always had. "I don't know if he forgives all, if that was true there'd be no need for Hell, would there?" He was certain that was his destination. Maybe Lewis was already there waiting for him? The idea of someone so kind and perfect burning for eternity made the small embers of anger at religion flicker and start to burn again.

"Oh. Well..." he tried to look unassuming as he walked and rubbed his hands together. "I sort of kept answering the door in the nude, which honestly isn't a big deal. But it did embarass him quite a bit." He smiled more. "So when I was getting ready to leave , I jokingly offered to help him work through a few things since he seemed so shy of men. I'll tell you. Patience of a Saint. He hurried me to the door but did not yell at me or call me names. Didn't even tell me not to come back." He laughed slightly and looked towards the priest.

"But I will behave as I said. I'm going to be good this time." His stomach was just shy of devouring itself he was so hungry. He decided a few days maybe a week of work and easy meals before he'd consider when he'd do something.

Malachi hummed, but the sound was little indication of his thoughts regarding the Lord's forgiveness. He'd said what he'd said. If Mister Tully wished to argue with a priest about what the bible said, he'd let him run his mouth until he grew tired or changed his mind.

"Ah?" Malachi glanced back again, dark eyebrows raised. His gaze didn't linger, but he seemed neither shocked nor upset with the admission.

"Our bodies are temples, as holy as this church. Some just have a harder time seeing past the worldly flesh," he offered a half-hearted shrug. He led them through the next door, towards the presbytery. "I am glad to hear that Father Richards was not unkind to you."

Not that he was surprised, either. The other priest had been nothing but kind, from what he'd seen and heard of him so far.