"I figure at least one of them has a quirk like, 'accidentally a baritone,' or 'trained soloist,' so..." Lucas lets the thought trail off, gaze dropping to Bash's hand. Carefully, hesitating, he twines the fingers of his free hand into Bash's own. To stop the tapping. Totally.

He feels a bit like he might pop if he stops talking, so Lucas goes on hurriedly. "Nature-nurture for sentient portraits," now that's an ethically questionable experiment. He tilts his chin up to stare thoughtfully at the dark ceiling. And also because he needs to take a deep breath. "Maybe one of them will learn to be a criminal mastermind? Then you could hand the criminal organization off to one of the portraits to run in your stead? Now you're starting to build an empire."