Henry
Lucien looked her in the eyes, inquisitive gaze trying to read any deceit she could have pulled off. After her question, his sight remained locked with hers for a few silent moments. The elf then turned and kneeled, scraping off some dirt. He pressed his fingers against each other, feeling its texture.

Oddly, his shady eyes began burning in a dark violet haze. The glow was unique, much like his energy - even around the ebony vampires she might have known quite a lot about. After careful consideration of the bloodied mud, he responded.

*"There's two situations I see here. In one you already know by having looked at me, which gives your reserved behavior another fine explanation. The other is that you have absolutely no idea about vampires. In the latter, I won't even bother explaining."* He rose. His grim expression merged with the night itself perfectly. The cloaked figure approached Katherine again, looming over her as composed as before.

*"Are owlbears the only thing you hunt, Katherine Vayne?"*
Jose
*The two hunters stared each other down, neither allowing the other to gain any sort of information, their eyes fierce.*

*Katherine's waryness didn't just come from his visible power; she just noticed that he towered over her, easily over a foot taller. It was unnerving, to say the least, though she wouldn't show it.*

"No. I hunt undead, and vampires as well. And you? Either you are searching for allies or targets."

*Behind her, Katherine's right hand balls up into a steel-clad fist. She wasn't sure about what he would answer with.*
Henry
*"So I was right in my assumption that you knew already?"* He raised a brow. His body's motion was unreadable, covered in his lengthy cloak.

As she said that she hunted his kind, he wasn't bothered - in fact, a tinge of satisfaction glowed in his eyes. Despite that, he remained just as close while inspecting her. He raised a brow at her question.

*"I'm looking for a specific few vampires indeed. Does that matter? Am I not your enemy? A vampire, standing right in front of you. Shouldn't you incinerate me, the evil, here and now?"*

His eyes dropped to her cheeks, lips - and then neck. He absorbed any information he could, doing so in a slightly sensual and perhaps intrusive manner. With only his gaze he could touch a soul deeper than his fingers could a body. Then again, the soul against him was hardened enough that simple probing wouldn't do. Was this a threat, suggesting that he intended to bite her? Or was it a test? Not much else could be spotted out, except for the fact that he looked back at her again - curious to know her next words.
Jose
"That would be correct."

*Katherine swore she saw what seemed like satisfaction in his eyes. Does that mean he was entertained? Approved?*

"I do not hunt vampires just because they are afflicted; I hunt them because they prey on the innocent. If I were to slay every vampire I saw, I would most certainly be mad and imprisoned. It would have been hypocritical for the past, as I used to be one myself."

*The macen saw Lucien looking at her lower face, then her neck. Her right leg shifts back, and her left leg bends ever so slightly.*

"And note that I do not plan on being one again."
Henry
*"Ah, you're not delusional. That's worrying. You're attractive, realistic. That means your crazy is somewhere else. I'm almost curious to find out."* 

He listened carefully to what she had to say. His brows jumped faintly at the mention of her vampire past, his interest peaking. Lucien also noticed how she moved into an alert pose, assuming that he planned to infect her. His figure loomed over her even more intensely, as if he was about to step forward and bite into her neck. His eyes relayed intensity akin to psychic pressure. The elf remained silent, before moving his head forth.

Right after, he was stepping back, the forward lean done to help him do so. He collapsed to the ground and dropped his back against the tree. A look towards the sky revealed another side to him - one that he hadn't portrayed in their meeting before. His expression was gloomy yet dreamy.

*"I see. Previously vampire, makes sense. I envy the relief you must be feeling now that you've gotten rid of it."*
Jose
*The macen blinks as Lucien comments about her. Attractive, 'crazy is somewhere else.' Whatever that meant. Her foot slides back ever more so slightly, then relaxes as Lucien stops and sits back at the tree. Katherine sits down as well, picking up a few sticks. Arranging them into a small bundle, she tosses a large log in the mix. A single fireball is launched, creating a small fire, cerulean flame, slowly turning into the bright orange.*

"It had plagued me for so many years. It was close. The strain was getting stronger, almost too late. You can too. Fight it. There's a place. It's expensive, but it was worth it."

*Katherine's armor is unsummoned, leaving the vampire in black clothing. Just a simple long sleeve shirt and pants, nothing special. On a belt was a silver dagger, the triangular blade sheathed in ebony leather.*

"Unless you wish to use it. I couldn't stand the feeling."
Henry
Lucien glimpsed at her as she crafted the campfire, until she sparked it alight. He stared into the fire, curious what he could see inside it. His eyes turned to focus on the lady besides him as she spoke, however.

Curiously he inspected her body as it no longer was covered by armor. He took notice of the simple wear and silver dagger clipped to her belt. His focus didn't wander long before returning to her eyes. He didn't speak for a while, letting the ember crack in the nightly serenity.

An expression of frustration showed on his face. Lucien looked at Katherine with painful sympathy, the kind only someone experiencing the same would be able to convey. He closed his eyes and crossed his legs in a lotus position. His head dropped to his hand, which's elbow was supported by his thigh. Much of the cloak was drawn behind him, revealing his clothing. He wore a grey shirt, disheveled and unbuttoned halfway through.

His physique was visibly maintained, judging by the muscular chest. Below that he wore black leather pants and lengthy boots. The rogue's odachi rested besides him. There were various dagger sheathes all over his body, as well as a pack clipped to his belt.

*"I admire your courage, kind Katherine."* He raised one of the hands conjured by the vampiric agony he channeled. It pointed to the fire. *"I can't even dream to do that. Before the curse was inflicted upon me, I couldn't even wield a sword. Ironically, in stead of my weak physique, my body is a perfect vessel for this disease. It allows me to do things that might even surprise you. Perhaps, I can show you more some day...
Either way, I simply can't lose this yet. I despise it from the bottom of my heart, like you do. Every day I fight to keep my sanity, to prevent myself from suiciding or even worse, hurting innocents with no purpose. **I hate that.** But I hate one thing more. I hate a specific few vampires for reasons I do not wish to disclose. They're malign to the core. I'll murder them all."*
Jose
*The former vampire simply listened as Lucien explained his condition. He was certainly fit, and seemed to be prepared, shown by his many weapons. Katherine crosses her legs, placing herself opposite of Lucien from the campfire. She still wasn't sure what to think of him, but slowly she was opening up; he seemed trustworthy.*

*What Katherine found interesting was the long odachi by his side. For such a stealthy warrior, he wielded quite a large weapon. It seemed to still work though, the curve not impeding its ability to stab deep into skulls.*

*"Kind Katherine". She hadn't heard that descriptor before.*

"So you use it as a weapon. In fact, it is the only way for you to so. Hm. I've heard of cases like that, where vampirism greatly amplified a person's physical or magical capabilities. I understand your pain."

"A specific group? Do you mean perhaps the cults?"
Henry
Lucien was a tad surprised by her providing understanding immediately. He didn't let that show on his face, however. A sense of doubt overwhelmed him - how could *She* Understand? How could anyone? Nobody could. Even the thought of seeing what he did, claimed by her, burned a pain inside his chest - an irrational one. Despite its developing fury, Lucien calmed and didn't let any emotion show on his face. He suppressed the primal beast inside him.

The elf peered towards the sky as the current carried the black strands of his hair across his own face.

*"That I can not tell. I thought my calculations were right, that I'd stumble upon one of them here. Seems that I'm either missing a piece, or you're just playing a really fancy trick on me. If the latter is true, I was already tricked. In that case I would have already lost, because I decided to trust a stranger with my goals. Yet my intuition has carried me here, and through experience with this curse I've learned to recognize others afflicted with it."*

The hazy skeletal hands lurked back to his body, merging with it in an unnerving fashion. He used his real one to collect the spread out hair back on top of his head. Lucien then inspected Katherine again, offering a smile.

*"Well, you know my secret. What about yours? What would you like no one else to know you're pursuing?"* He questioned her motivations. In essence, it was an offer of trade - neither of them had anything to do with each other's life, thus the opportunity to get weight off of the shoulder without consequences.
Jose
"And you think I would play a trick? Believe me when I say I am a simple person. And I for sure am no longer afflicted."

*Katherine grabs her silver dagger, drawing it out of the sheathe. The surface is almost mirror-like, reflecting the shades of gold and crimson coming from the campfire. The macen presses the blade against her palm.*

"Intuition is the best form of judgement. Though I can't help but feel unnerved by your magic. It's... Unnatural."

*Katherine eventually sheathes the dagger, showing an unharmed hand. She soon shows sign of relaxation, putting her hands behind her head and extending her legs, resting them on a log.*

"I have no need to hide my secrets. Except for maybe one..."

*Katherine raises up her right hand, showing a golden ring, glowing like flames.*

"I'm looking for someone. Someone very important to me. Despite removing my vampirism, I don't feel whole, I don't feel complete."