05-11-2022, 02:23 PM
Oh. She was just… holding onto the hat. Good thing he hadn’t worn a coat as well.
It was much easier getting information out of Mable than it was her brother, that was clear. Years of caring for the children in his parishes had long made Malachi a master of patience, and he was all too glad to follow at a slower pace behind her and let her speak uninterrupted.
Was she always so upbeat, or was it her nerves that compelled her? She did not seem at all uncomfortable once he had introduced himself… and that was as deeply appreciated by Malachi as it was shocking.
He tore his gaze away from its inspection of the room, finding instead the girl’s smile when she glanced his way.
“Not at all,” he promised with a small smile of his own.
Besides – he would rather hear too much than not be trusted with anything at all.
Malachi reached out and touched the table. No dust. From the sound of it, the people running the hotel had kept their word thus far.
(Some small, naïve part of him hoped, perhaps unrealistically, that she was just always so enthused about food, and that her excitement was not for lack of having it. A larger part of him chose to ignore the things he could not change; to pray that he had the strength to.)
Happy to oblige the girl’s request, Malachi stepped closer to the beds after that and tested a hand against the blankets. She was right – they were soft, and he couldn’t help but compare them to the stiff sheets that covered his bed in the presbytery. At least these beds were seeing some use.
“I’m glad you like the room,” he said, withdrawing his hand so that it could join the other behind his back. “I was not sure if it would be as… nice, as I hoped.”
It was nicer. A lot nicer, but that was alright. The siblings probably deserved things like this after making do with whatever accommodations they might have had while travelling on their own.
Malachi took a seat at the table, conscious of how the chair brought him closer to eye-level with the young girl. “I don’t know if your brother said much about me, but I’m new to Whitby too, and I haven’t had the time to explore much of it either.”
The nights were his best chance, until things were all sorted out at the church. The priest’s head tilted then, dark eyes curious as they observed Mable.
“Do you know if your brother will be out long? We could walk along the river, if you’re bored in here – but I don’t want to worry him if he gets back before we do.”
It was much easier getting information out of Mable than it was her brother, that was clear. Years of caring for the children in his parishes had long made Malachi a master of patience, and he was all too glad to follow at a slower pace behind her and let her speak uninterrupted.
Was she always so upbeat, or was it her nerves that compelled her? She did not seem at all uncomfortable once he had introduced himself… and that was as deeply appreciated by Malachi as it was shocking.
He tore his gaze away from its inspection of the room, finding instead the girl’s smile when she glanced his way.
“Not at all,” he promised with a small smile of his own.
Besides – he would rather hear too much than not be trusted with anything at all.
Malachi reached out and touched the table. No dust. From the sound of it, the people running the hotel had kept their word thus far.
(Some small, naïve part of him hoped, perhaps unrealistically, that she was just always so enthused about food, and that her excitement was not for lack of having it. A larger part of him chose to ignore the things he could not change; to pray that he had the strength to.)
Happy to oblige the girl’s request, Malachi stepped closer to the beds after that and tested a hand against the blankets. She was right – they were soft, and he couldn’t help but compare them to the stiff sheets that covered his bed in the presbytery. At least these beds were seeing some use.
“I’m glad you like the room,” he said, withdrawing his hand so that it could join the other behind his back. “I was not sure if it would be as… nice, as I hoped.”
It was nicer. A lot nicer, but that was alright. The siblings probably deserved things like this after making do with whatever accommodations they might have had while travelling on their own.
Malachi took a seat at the table, conscious of how the chair brought him closer to eye-level with the young girl. “I don’t know if your brother said much about me, but I’m new to Whitby too, and I haven’t had the time to explore much of it either.”
The nights were his best chance, until things were all sorted out at the church. The priest’s head tilted then, dark eyes curious as they observed Mable.
“Do you know if your brother will be out long? We could walk along the river, if you’re bored in here – but I don’t want to worry him if he gets back before we do.”
