The rest of the boarding house followed suit in being a decent and apparently well cared for establishment. Miss Clarke's rather no-nonsense disposition did well to suffocate the last of Malachi's thoughts regarding Crane, for the time being, and kept each shift in his expression calm and polite, never daring to stretch beyond the limits of the trust she'd placed in them.

He did feel... more than a little awkward, each time Miss Clarke opened a door to reveal a lady going about her day. Now Malachi wouldn't claim to have the best understanding of women in general, but he couldn't imagine that being interrupted and having their privacy intruded upon was something most of them would like. So the priest bowed his head in awkward apology and carried on without looking in too far.

Only once they'd reached what Miss Clarke dubbed the 'hospitable room' did Malachi lose a bit of that discomfort. There was still that distinct feeling of being out of place, but the usefulness of such a room outweighed his desire to look away. In fact, he perked up somewhat, looking over the amenities provided with a curious gaze.

"Are all of your residents long-term, or do you ever take anyone in temporarily?"

It was more a question of resources -- if the beds in the hospitable room were always filled, or if there was room for those who needed only a night, or a few, to get back on their feet.