"Why my Lady, for me, that is charming, is it not?" His brand of levity is small, tends toward either subtle or bleak and gallows, so maybe he's pushing his luck here. Being too blatantly...upbeat? Amusing? Too much for her own benefit, the same way she is overcompensating, just for different reasons. Though his mouth slides back into its usual firm straight line, there's still the softness that is there when he is around someone he appreciates as a sharp mind (and sharper tongue).

He has brothers and sisters within the Seekers. Had. He had them. He now has Aleron and Cassandra, two names and faces he thankfully is already on familiar terms with. These people he trusts with his life. But friends? True friends? They have been few and far between and fraught with dangerous and formidable starts. He must first and foremost be for the Chantry--but no, even that is no longer true. He is for the Maker, and even more than that...more than that, for the people, for their safety, whether it be from Templars who have turned away from their calling, mages who use their gifts for twisted reasons, dragons and demons and dark plots...or darkspawn in command of vast armies.

Where Benevenuta sees potential pieces in a game, Malcolm sees potential threats. And in that alone, at the top of their respective games? They are truly a formidable duo. But it leaves little room for friendship.