#zvoni;

When he awoke, it was to the sound of hushed voices. One was Caligarus' usual drawl, but the other was punchy and elegant. Zvonimir attempted to open his eyes. Which was a trial onto itself. He attempted to let out a faint noise to let them know he was awake, but the sound died in his throat. His entire body felt heavy, useless. The Axii couldn't have been that strong, certainly not.

     "I believe your friend is awake," said the eloquent voice.

    Measured, heavy footsteps, and suddenly, Caligarus was cupping Zvonimir's neck. "His pulse is steady at least. Finally." They turned away. "I can't thank you enough."

    "I'm sure you could manage. My, my. I do have my hands full with you Witchers."

    "Perhaps you could open your own practice. You'd make a killing."

The other speaker laughed, and it was reassuring. Zvonimir felt it in his chest, and it lessened the pressure in his mind only a little.

    "Cagli..." He attempted, but his tongue was heavy. The word slurred in his mouth.

    Caligarus shook their head before lowering him back down onto the bed. "You need more rest."

    "Buh..." It was useless, but Zvonimir's instinct told him to resist whatever this was. Had he been drugged? Charmed?

His hand slid down the length of Caligarus' arm, and it was all too easy for him to succumb to the rest that overtook him. His eyes filled with darkness for the briefest second. He was out immediately after.

-----

Rising the second time was far easier. In fact, he felt completely energised! He placed a hand on his head and sat up without trouble. All of his arm had been stripped and cleaned. The pieces had been stacked and prepared for him on a nearby bench. At the furthest end of the bench sat Caligarus, who had been scraping down a root of ginger.

    "Where are we, Caligarus?"

The Ox Witcher halted their task; their eyes swung over to Zvonimir, gaze intense. He licked his lips without thinking. Dry and flecked with blood. He made a face before looking towards the ground. He raised his hand to touch his lips and saw that his entire left hand had been bandaged.

     "What...?"

    "And here, I thought I was going to be regaled with the tale of what happened to you," Caligarus explained. They bent forward to grab a few stray pieces of ginger. They dropped the root scraps into a basket before grabbing it and standing. "I've never seen you come out so terribly."

    "The- the Ekhidna, did you...?"

    "We found her," Caligarus added, "and you."

We. Zvonimir looked around and then scented the air. There was no sign of the other person still around, but there was the lingering smell of herbs. Powerful, that... He looked to Caligarus, and they extended to him a two-toned potion. It was red mixing with honey yellow. Smelling it brought no offense, but even still, he shot a reluctant look to Caligarus.

    "I'm not going to poison you. I need you alive."

    "Funny. You typically don't need anything of me, but."

Zvonimir stopped the token protest before downing the potion in a single pull. He was almost immediately winded. His sinuses cleared up at the same time his breath was taken away. He reached out, and Caligarus knelt down in front of him. He gripped his hand on their armoured shoulder and held on as tight as he could as a literal nerve-wracking pain built up. It charged up from the soles of his feet to the roots of his hair. He sucked in a pained breath as he started to shake.

    "Shit..."

    "He warned me it would be powerful, but it's going to purge all the poison from you."

    "Oh, it's going to do more than—" Zvonimir seized as the sudden gag nearly blinded him.

Caligarus, quick with their senses, began to pull him to his feet. He went without issue. Walking didn't bring any further discomfort, but the second heave of his body made him feel even more lightheaded. By the time they were near a pile of dead leaves and weeds, Zvonimir was ready to unburden his body of both toxin and organ. He dropped down to his hands and knees and gave up all that his body wanted to expel. Caligarus was kind enough to kneel down and tie his hair back.

Zvonimir heard the dying whimper of something and prayed to every force and being that it was him. When he opened his eyes, he saw something bruised coloured and writhing in his sick. He regarded it with a flat, teary stare.

    "A parasite," he breathed. "Joy."

    "Do you remember what else you fought?" Caligarus asked as they produced a tiny hemp bag from their side.

    Zvonimir watched almost disdainfully as they collected the thing and dropped it into the bag. "What are you planning on doing with that?"

    "Consider it payment for saving your life." Caligarus tucked away the bag before sighing and dropping their hands to their thigh. They looked over to Zvonimir. "That's what I've been told to say."

    "By. Whom?"

    "The one who did the saving. Truly, in this case. I merely hauled your almost corpse to a safe location." They reached out to grab onto him and help him stand once again.

Zvonimir felt weak in the legs and empty in the stomach, but otherwise, he felt perfectly fine for someone who just wretched several generations of eating. Caligarus pulled them away from the dry brush before setting it all ablaze with Igni.

    "Who was here earlier, Cali?" Zvonimir asked as they headed back to the small domicile.

    "A friend. Someone who I had great fortune of running into while I was out." They looked to him from the corner of their eye. "And you haven't answered me yet."

Zvonimir took in a deep breath, ready to fire the sentiment back at them, but he knew that it would be no use. Fighting Caligarus about their vagueness and mystery had about as much purpose as yelling at a tree for growing its bark. He waited until he was sitting again before finally explaining,

    "I went there because I was told that fishermen and such had been attacked by a terrible she-beast. Based on their testimonies, I had been prepared for a fight with a siren and maybe, perhaps, an Ekhidna. But there was something in the forest."

    "A cursed one?"

    "Perhaps, I never saw it. No matter what I did, it struck with such a savage ferocity that by the time I saw the Ekhidna, I." Zvonimir stopped short and frowned deeply. He wasn't so detached from humanity that he didn't know what shame was. He licked the inside of his cheek, his gaze unfocusing as he thought to the first moment he saw the Ekhidna. "I was already dead."

The air between them went dead. He nodded his head slowly before closing his eyes and balling his hand into a fist. He thumped it down against his thigh. A harsh sigh escaped through his nose. When he opened his eyes again, he stared at Caligarus both annoyed and focused.

    "Tell me you finished the thing."

    Caligarus nodded somberly. "It would have been easier with help, but I knew you needed to be tended to." They leaned against the small counter and crossed their arms. "So, no hint at all?"

    "None. Unfortunately."

    "That is unfortunate, hmm." Caligarus looked at the wall ahead of them. "And I didn't see anything when I returned... I did collect on the contract, however. There were two going at once for this thing, and I managed to talk your clients into believing that you were no coward nor were you dead."

They dug into their pocket and held out his Griffin medallion. Zvonimir felt at his neck and realised that he was truly naked without it. He accepted the pendant and set to work refastening it around his neck. Caligarus continued,

    "Seeing to the beast that did this to you would have been a suitable step in my revenge, but for now, I'll stay to cursing it blindly." They pushed away from the counter then. They moved to a small table by the window and put together something modest to eat.

    "That beast that grabbed me when I fell..."

    Caligarus was quiet for a beat. "A Royal wyvern," they explained.

    Zvonimir stared at their back, incredulous at the idea. "You—! You tamed such a beast?"

    "Tamed would be a stretch. I merely offered it a trade." Zvonimir turned. They crossed the room before setting the bread and meat in Zvonimir's lap. The plate was chipped and a speck of dust had hardened on the edge. He missed the details for he was still staring up at his companion. "Some beasts can be haggled with. It's usually far easier if you know what they're after."

    "And what... did you offer it?"

    "Its territory back. It and the Ekhidna were rivals for that spot." They spoke with an air of confidence and certainty. Even still, Zvonimir thought they were mad. "Anything else, however, I wouldn't know."

    "Oh, of course." Zvonimir began to eat.

    Seeing this, Caligarus fetched their waterskin for him and turned towards the door. "I'll be back before the afternoon. I've yet another trade to make."

    "Are you going to meet this 'friend' of yours?"

    Caligarus paused at the door and looked over their shoulder. "I am."

    Pointless to ask, he reminded himself before readying another bite of his food. "Tell this friend I said 'thank you.'"

    "I will along any other long-winded vows of gratitude you wish to make."

    "Sod off..."

    "Just a—" Zvonimir turned his head and stared at Caligarus incredulously. "Just a bed. That's the problem, you see! Do they think we Witchers lack modesty or a need for privacy? It's rather forward of them to assume I would want to share a room with you." He paused and turned his head away; he fanned away any questions with two sharp flicks of his hand. "Not that there's anything wrong with you. You're fine enough."

    "Then why the fuss? I'm not sure how you Griffins play, but at my keep, there was no shame in sharing a bed or space with our fellows. After all we've endured to get to this point, it's a trifle thing, isn't it?"

Zvonimir was silent for a long while. Caligarus set their bag down onto the floor and turned lazily to sit down on the bed. They looked up at Zvonimir as he sighed slowly.

    They added, "I promise I'll stay on my side of the bed."

    "....Fine, I guess," he conceded finally. "We just shouldn't do anything untoward while together lest they find evidence."

    Caligarus smiled lazily, the tips of their teeth peeking through a part between their lips. "Bashful, are you? Or are you already thinking lewd things?" When Zvonimir snapped towards them suddenly, they raised their hands in surrender, but they laughed jovially all the same. "I jest; I jest, of course." They lowered their hands to the bed and leaned their weight back. "I've no other plans than to use this bed to rest. So long as you don't mind me returning at a late hour, that is. You'll hardly know I'm even here."

    Zvonimir frowned for a different reason entirely this time. "And why would you be out late?"

    "Please." Caligarus tipped their head and huffed a brief laugh. "As if you're the only one who has plans here." They drew in a small breath and let it out in a carefree sigh. "But don't worry. I won't interfere with your machinations. I've my own business to attend to."

Zvonimir stared at Caligarus for a long while before stepping closer to the witcher. He reached out and idly fiddled with their medallion. His gloved thumb traced the geometric snout of the ox before sliding up to the shapely horns. He hummed before tapping against the ox's forehead. He flicked his gaze up to Caligarus'. He tucked the witcher's medallion under their tunic.

    "Don't get in trouble," was all he said finally as he pulled away. He began removing his gloves. "And don't make a mess."

    "Aye, aye." Caligarus looked down to the ground, their head tipping the other direction.

    "And keep an eye on the time. Dinner starts at sundown."

    Caligarus raised a hand lazily. "Will do." They pulled up to their feet with a soft huff of effort. They nudged their bag underneath the bed with a foot before heading towards the bedroom door once again. "I'm off then."

    "See you in a bit."

Caligarus hummed in acknowledgement as they exited. The door clicked behind them, and Zvonimir glanced the way they left. He waited in the silence before looking over his shoulder towards the bed. He warmed at the thought of them sharing an intimate space. He loosely covered his mouth with one hand and looked away, feeling as bashful as Caligarus had teased.

    "Fool," he muttered under his breath before continuing to undress down to his second layer. He couldn't think on this any further. He had things he needed to do and prepare for.

In spite of all that, he wasn't ready for that night.

The hours passed in a haze of conversation for Zvonimir and combat for Caligarus. When it was time for dinner, Caligarus arrived ten minutes late, having needed to clean up well enough and change clothes to appear in polite company. The guests at the dinner table eyed them curiously as they strode through the door. Zvonimir kept a stern expression, but his shoulders relaxed slowly, belying his relief in seeing his companion. Caligarus looked around at everyone as they walked to their seat. They bowed shallowly.

    "Apologies for my lateness. Business dragged on longer than I would have liked."

    "You're still on time for the first course," a nobleman said, though his tone was... needling and accusatory when he stated it.

Caligarus withdrew their chair and took a seat next to Zvonimir. Under the table, they reached out to squeeze his thigh. To the nobleman, Caligarus gave a slow smile. It would have been handsome were it not for the edge of viciousness.

    "Thank you for your care. I'll start eating now."

And it was good, the food. The company was middling as always. Zvonimir spoke confidently and often in broad strokes when people asked about their witcherly natures. It wasn't pertinent to the conversation at hand, but the nobles seemed so curious about the fact that they had two witchers from two different parts of the continent here together. There was scandal in the air, or so they assumed. Caligarus wiped their mouth and politely spoke up,

    "Having two Witchers is a rarity indeed, and thus it should state the severity of your problem."

Some of the nobles paled. One or two politely cleared their throats. Zvonimir shot the other witcher a grateful look before continuing his speech. By the end of it all, it was hard to say whether the nobles had some newfound respect for the pair or if they found them more of a novelty. Caligarus hardly cared either way. They just wanted to head to their bedroom. The two witchers walked alone to their room, and once the door opened, Caligarus began to undress. Zvonimir startled and hurried his companion inside. He hurriedly shut the door behind them. Caligarus seemed unbothered.

    "Finally. I can take a bath."

    "I thought you already took one!"

    Caligarus rolled their eyes tiredly. "A better one. A longer one. I still feel blood in every crease and on my thighs. I managed to wash away the worst of it all, but what remains is turning, augh, tacky. Help me with this, will you? Being tired is making me useless."

A sharp sigh. Caligarus stepped closer to help remove the garment that was keeping Caligarus restricted. He eyed the broad plane of his companion's back. He watched as they unbuttoned the tunic that remained, and his eyes widened slightly as the muscles were bared before him. When Caligarus bent down to remove their trousers, though, he snapped to life.

    "Really! Here?"

    Caligarus made a noise upon feeling a slap against their back. "Has being alone made you virginal? What are you complaining for?"

They quickly and easily stripped naked before gathering up their clothes and armour. Zvonimir all too quickly shoved the piece he held towards them when they turned. He pointedly kept his eyes up towards the ceiling. Caligarus watched him before laughing lowly, warmly. Zvonimir quickly glared at them, cheeks burning.

    "Perhaps so..." they mused to themself. "I'll be more mindful then." With that, they turned towards the shared bathroom. "Forgive me if I take a while. I'll clean my armour and then myself. Do what you need before retiring."

    "I will!" Zvonimir snapped, a bit too defensively.

He plucked nervously at his clothes before starting to undress as well. He took his time and dressed down until he was just in his small clothes. He cleaned up their shared space, though there was little for him to do. In the end, he kept himself busy by examining the flowers on the dressers. The petals looked thick, waxy almost, but they were real, surprisingly. He stroked one petal and then another. His thoughts ran away with him until he felt compelled to jot them down.

He lost himself in his notes, first about the flowers and then about the space around them. He wrote extensively about the local flora and fauna he had seen and compared them to others he had catalogued in his book. Before long, he was in front of the alchemy set, twiddling a lock of his hair around a finger. He only looked up when he heard footsteps in the room again.

Caligarus appeared now, drying off their hair and walking almost blindly towards the bed. They were in thin pants now — their chosen attire for sleeping, Zvonimir reckoned.

    "My armour is drying, but it should be out of your way." They pulled the towel back and looked to Zvonimir, whose eyes suddenly snapped up to meet theirs. They smirked. "When you're ready."

    "When I'm... Ah. Yes!" He shut his field book suddenly and stood up with entirely too much urgency.

    He and Caligarus held each other's gaze. Caligarus laughed softly. "Careful now. Don't want you to have an accident."

    "Hold your tongue for once, would you? I'm going now. Don't get into the bed wet."

Caligarus hummed in a way that was low, almost guttural. It was a noise Zvonimir hadn't heard humans, or whatever their kind constituted as, make before. He paused out of curiosity, but then he continued forward into the bathroom. He relaxed when he finally got into the bath, and Caligarus did do their part to dry as much as they could. Before they entered the bed, though, they grabbed Zvonimir's field book and took it with them. They flicked idly through the pages, marveling at the graphs drawn and the very studious notes scribbled down. Far better than anything they've ever written themself but nothing that escaped their understanding. They sank down against the mound of pillows as they read. When they heard Zvonimir's footsteps approaching, they didn't look away.

    "Taking my things now?"

    "It was out in the open. I just wanted to read your notes."

    "... And?"

    "They're fascinating." Caligarus gave an idle shrug of their shoulder. "But what else can I expect from the School of the Griffin?"

    Zvonimir sniffed haughtily and asked, "Do they not read and write at your keep?"

    Caligarus laughed. "Not often. Not like this. We know enough to be literate, but our methods are more... bestial, I suppose, than this." They closed the notebook and handed it over to Zvonimir, who took it protectively. "We rely on our witcher kin to be more civil."

The two looked at each other. Zvonimir noted how relaxed Caligarus was, how low and slow their voice was, how each word was starting to become more of a purr. He turned away, willing himself to calm, as he set the book down on the bedside table.

    "Even the Cat?" Zvonimir asked sharply, diverting his feelings.

    Caligarus laughed and placed their hands behind their head. "Even the Cat in a sense." They closed their eyes then and let out a steady sigh through their nose.

    Zvonimir watched them before shaking his head. "Won't even help turn out the lights?"

Caligarus' lips quirked up, and they freed their right hand. With a lazy motion of their hand, they used Aard to blow out all the candle lights. Zvonimir clapped daintily with an indifferent expression on their face. Caligarus chuckled softly before placing their hand behind their head once more. Giving into his own tiredness, Zvonimir slid underneath the covers himself. He made himself comfortable and turned his back to his companion. He very nearly fell asleep at that moment, but then he felt a shift behind him. Caligarus rolled towards him and placed a hand on his hip. Zvonimir couldn't stop himself from shuddering in time.

    "Do keep your musings to a minimum," Caligarus teased. "I'd like to sleep."

    Zvonimir groaned in his embarrassment as Caligarus turned away. "Must you torment me then?" he muttered to himself. He then added louder, "Didn't someone promise to stay on their side?"

    Caligarus laughed and rolled away, their back facing Zvonimir's. "It's in my nature and apologies—I’ll do better throughout the night. Good night, Zvoni."

ZVONIMIR FLAGRAS

AGE: 287 years old GENDER: Male (trans) PRONOUNS: He/him, they/them, none FROM: Parts Unkwown

LAW OF SURPRISE: His mother was a fair maiden who was on the road, trying to get away from the Witcher when she finally went into labour. Her cries drew the attention of some traveling merchants who went into town to get a doctor. The doctor came with a companion, the very Witcher she sought to avoid. She screamed and cursed the Witcher, calling them a bastard and a monster bent on ruining all mothers’ lives across the Continent. 

SCHOOL: of the Griffin

AMBITION: To repair the other witcher keeps, in admittedly safer areas or with higher fortification, and/or to retrieve knowledge from these keeps to prevent any meaningful loss. Also wish to create a secreted away place only for witchers and their most trusted to live.

Trivia! Though NSFW, Zvonimir is actually a big pervert. You won’t get more than that, but that’s the dosh.

— — — —

CALIGARUS

AGE: 146 years old GENDER: Agender PRONOUNS: They/them SEXUALITY: Grey-ace BIRTHPLACE: Brugge

VOICE: Low drawl, naturally breathy unless trying to be impressive or intimidating APPEARANCE: Built broad, very muscular. Has thick sideburns and stubble along jawline. Weaves in and out of having a beard, depending on the time of year/their mood. Sharp teeth, took more to the strain of ekimmara blood in their veins. Hair in long, thick twists down to back. Eyes are honey brown.

SCHOOL: of the Auroch QUIRK: Speaking and actually communicating with beasts and monsters

Trivia! The first actual Witcher occupation OC I made (the first Witcher OC I’ve ever made period was an NPC for a voice acting thing). For a while, I struggled between choosing the name “Caligarus” and “Cagilarus”. In truth, I still go back and forth between the two because they both still sound good to me. (Though “Cagilarus” is still my personal favourite.....)

— — — —

AVITAMIS

AGE: 97 years old COMPLEXION: Red-brown GENDER: Bi-gender (DMAB), male and female PRONOUNS: She/her, he/him

BIRTHPLACE: Kovir and Poviss

APPEARANCE: Has a naturally flat stare and wide set eyes; has a wide mouth that seems to be pouting; their sunlit brown hair falls down to their knees.

LAW OF SURPRISE: Was smuggled as a child and given to a bandit king, for whom a Witcher had done a favour. When the Witcher came to collect, the bandit laughed and said that they had no use for a bitch let alone a child before handing over Avitamis easily.

SCHOOL: of the Crane

WEAPON: Very longsword (ha), musket (early gun)