Jean-Claude smiles indulgently, before rising to produce a pair of tumblers from an ornate crystal set he has shut in a smaller cabinet behind him. More often than not, he drinks less savory liquids out of these glasses, but this is technically what they are made for. He sets them down on his desk before the other vampire, glancing up at the painting in question before moving to begin clearing his desk of any work that might get damaged should any spilling occur.

"You know me too well to ask that question, I think, mon ami," he replies. Of course it has become a permanent part of his collection. What else is he to do with it. Yes, it reminds him of a more painful piece of his past, but these are two people he loved -- or loves, as the case maybe -- more dearly than most anyone else in the world. Belle had sent the portrait to hurt him, and hurt him she had. But he could not just wrap the thing up and forget about it, now that it's here. It is simply not his way of things.