If Malachi sensed the other's reluctance to be near him, he said nothing of it.

He grabbed their bag from the wall, carrying it at his side as he led them through the presbytery and to the rooms. Once he'd shown them to the unoccupied room and set the bag down, he made sure to show the way to the bath before he left Chéri alone to settle in.

Malachi did not attempt to bother them after that, and neither did his behavior stray from that of the polite warmth he had shown them when they'd first arrived. And once the world went dark outside, the priest slipped from his room, and was gone.