Title: Self Portrait
Fandom: : Looking for Group
Rating: Mature
Length: 649 Words
Content notes: Rated for gore, crack
Summary: Richard makes Cale a self-portrait


"I have made you a self-portrait!" Richard declared, dumping a large, cloth-wrapped package onto the table.

"A portrait of yourself?" Cale asked a little doubtfully. He wasn't certain he wanted to know what the necromancer considered his inner self to look like.

"No, silly. A self-portrait of you." Richard replied merrily.

Cale looked up, intending to tell the other man that his sarcasm wasn't necessary, but one look at his face halted the words in his throat. Richard looked far too pleased with himself, but not smug, as he would if he had just insulted Cale. He was most likely serious.

"Isn't the point of self-portraits that you do them of yourself? If other people do it, then it's just a plain portrait." he replied tiredly.

Richard held up a finger and slipped into what Cale had identified as his lecture mode. "Ah, but you see, I can make the self-portrait of you that you would have made of yourself, which is far superior, don't you think?"

Cale wasn't sure how to follow that logic, so he resorted to shrugging instead.

After a long pause, Richard finally demanded. "Well, don't you want to see it?"

Kale sighed, enjoying the small chance to wind up the necromancer. "I suppose."

"Humph." Richard looked like he might flounce off in a huff, as he was want to do, but Cale was fairly certain from the gleam in his eyes that he would consider showing Cale the portrait more fun than a huff.

Sure enough, Richard finally whipped the cloth off the table, revealing a canvas beneath.

At least, Cale supposed it could be called a canvas. It was made of some kind of hide - he wasn't sure what animal Richard had sacrificed this time, and he wasn't completely interested in finding out either.

But on the hide he saw something that surprised him greatly.

There, drawn in what was most likely blood, was a picture of a small boy and girl.

Cale stared at it, blinking in confusion, for a long minute. Richard was unexpectedly quiet while he examined the picture, until finally Cale asked, "what is it?"

"Bear's blood mixed with a little snake venom and just a touch of-"

"Not the paint, though you can always feel free to never give me those kinds of details. I was referring to the figures in the portrait." It simply couldn't be the young him and SORA, because there was no way for the warlock to have known about her, and yet the resemblance was uncanny.

Richard waved his hand dismissively. "Just your innermost feelings and insecurities," he chirped. "And something about fate woven through time or something like that," he added softly.

"What?"

"I don't remember, but that portal guardian was tasty." Richard smacked his lips, humming lightly.

Cale didn't push the matter, realizing that the warlock was in an obstinate (more than usual) mood. But still, he resolved to pay more attention to the dark man's ramblings and non-sequitors in the future. The warlock was hiding something, something about Cale's past, and he intended to find out what it was.