Mister Tully was basically saying that, so long as the church gave him what he needed, he would not take what he needed from them. Was that it? A mutual exchange, borne of some strange sort of coercion? Malachi seemed unfazed by it, but then he wouldn't have let it show even if he wasn't.

"Mm," hummed Malachi.

No, he was not seeking any other truth. No specific truths, at least.

Malachi closed his eyes, and when his head dipped forward, the waves of his dark hair framed his face in messy fashion.

"Sometimes it is not necessary to be good," he said. "What is better: a good man that does terrible things, or a bad man that does wonderful things?"

One dark eye cracked open, to watch the motion of the beggar's hand as he stirred.

"I think that you can help me after all, Mister Tully. If you're still of the mind to do so."

The man scratched his chin in thought. "Good man doing bad hmm? I suppose you're right. But who cares what's in one's heart? Only actions matter in the end."

He leaned forward to smell the soup and eyed the spices once more but straightedge to look back at Brennan. "I told you the offer was still open. Luckily I find you highly amusing!" Francis spouted the last part cheerfully. "Of course you could stand to smile more but beggars can't be choosers."

Malachi frowned, as if to spite him.

He could agree with one thing: only actions matter in the end.

What did it matter if the one taking action was good or bad at heart?

And what did it matter what means they took to achieve great things?

"Give me more to smile about, then," he practically huffed. He lifted his head and stepped closer, peering into the pot himself. While he watched the contents of it swirl around, Malachi continued:

"I would like for you to keep me informed, when you can, about things going on in town. Whatever the loudest rumors may be, whatever the constables are up to..."

Slowly, and without moving back from where he'd leaned to look into the pot, Malachi returned his gaze to Mister Tully's face.

"I like to know what I can about people. All people."

Malachi smiled. A warm, pleasant smile, or what could've been if it'd reached his eyes.

"I can make sure that you'll never have to rob a church again, if you do this for me."

Francis smiled and pretended to move to lean in closer but didn't actually get any closer as he wasn't going to be warned again about touching. "If you tell me how to make you smile, I will."

This priest was so strange and he loved a puzzle. The only thing that would get him moving as fast as a drink or a meal was satisfying some sort of curiosity and right now that was the case of the new priest in town.

"Oh?" His eyes shifted slightly to look at the other man's eyes and he puffed out his chest and stood tall, matching the other's height. "I can do that. Everyone you say? Constables included? Well from the darkest empties alleyways to the gates of the fanciest homes, I will find out all I can and will report back to you. "

He was wondering what the priest wanted but decided he'd figure it out in time. His hand slowed to stir the pot as he stared intently at Brennan. "I will make you quite pleased with what I can do. Hopefully for my hard work I'll get a special reward. "

More than anything Mister Tully had shared with him thus far, the swift agreement pleased Malachi. The lack of questioning involved, too, only added to the jovial mood he'd slipped seamlessly into.

"Of course," came his easy assurance. "So long as you do what I ask of you, I will give you whatever you'd like."

Malachi tilted his head, opposing the beggar's upright stance.

Without a glance down to the pot, he inquired, "...how long are you going to keep stirring that?"

Francis grinned. "Don't promise me something like that. You never know what I'll ask for." It was hard to keep behaving, as much as Francis was able to.

He perked up and there was a very obvious sultry tone as well as humor to his voice as he spoke, "it will take ten.. maybe fifteen minutes until the soup is ready. I am just keeping my hands busy. ....unless you'd rather I used them for something else?" He leaned in just a hair closer to the priest and rose his brow curiously.

"Ah," Malachi dipped his head. Just keeping his hands busy, of course. Whatever he thought of the beggar's grin, and the warning not to promise him so much -- if he thought anything at all, it remained hidden beneath the unaffected veil he'd pulled over his face.

As Mister Tully leaned closer, his expression did shift... but it was the curious look of a thoughtful priest that met the other's sultry grin.

Of a confused, and curious, and celibate priest.

"I'm afraid I don't follow," he confessed.

"You don't follow?" The scrawny man said in a slight disbelief. He then gave a heavy sigh. "How long have you been working to be a priest."

He finally frowned and looked the man up and down. "God shouldn't have been so wasteful and made you ugly. Then I wouldn't be so disappointed. Well.." he shrugged and stirred the pot some more. "If you have no chores to keep me busy, I will just stir."

The deep, involuntary catch and release of Malachi's laughter prevented it from being anything but genuine.

He fell out of his exaggerated lean, turning away from Mister Tully with his hand clasped over his mouth. His fingers barely muffled the sound.

"So--"

Nope. Still laughing.

It took him longer than it should have to recollect himself. Once he had, he straightened up, lifted his chin, and fixed his gaze on Mister Tully. Glittering with terrible amusement as it was.

"God should have made me ugly, Mister Tully?"

Francis swung his head up in his direction in surprise at hearing that laugh. Damn it, even his laugh was nice. He rolled his eyes and muttered about wasteful them turned his head to look over when he heard the question.

He blinked seeing the other looking at him. He stuck up his chin to mirror the other but pointed at him with a spoon. "Yes, you should have been ugly. It's fun to have a handsome priest in a sort of forbidden fruit sort of way. But one so innocent is just a shame, it feels like I'm taking advantage of you." He turned back to the soup.