I may not have intended to inspire philosophical reflection but I am SO GLAD it did!!! (and maybe always hope for that on the dl!) I think you're spot on and have done a really fantastic job of articulating a thing I intuitively knew but couldn't quite articulate while writing. I love that the complexity around their intimacy or lack thereof came through, and you've really beautifully described the tension between the potentially immortal life of a portrait and the uncertainty that death still presents. Man, that was good analysis!! Thank you so, so much for reading, and for sharing your thoughts. You've given me some new/clearer insight into the story (yes, good, knowledgeable criticism/discussion is an AMAZING thing!!) and I'm so glad you found it inspired, and that it gave you something to think about. <3