Boo

Boo's official art

**Boo** was one of the main characters in the Pandava Quintet. He was the reformed Shakhuni who served as mentor to the five reincarnated Pandava siblings and Aiden Acharya. He was also a memeber of the Council of Guardians. He dies while trying to protect the Pandavas in *Aru Shah and the City of Gold*, and is later reincarnated as a fire bird.

## The Pandava Quintet

### Aru Shah and the End of Time

Boo picks up Aru Shah from the Museum of Ancient Indian Art and Culture when she first releases the Sleeper and tells her about the Otherworld. He takes her to meet Mini Kapoor-Mercado-Lopez, and journeys with them on their quest. Later, he is captured by the Sleeper, but eventually escapes.

### Aru Shah and the Song of Death

Boo is taken into the custody of the Otherworld for most of the book. He is later freed once the Pandavas retrieve Kamadeva's bow and arrow.

### Aru Shah and the Tree of Wishes

Boo stays with Nikita Jagan and Sheela Jagan for part of the book while the Potatoes go on their unofficial quest to find Kalpavriksha. While the Potatoes are on their quest, Boo helps the Sleeper kidnap Sheela after making a bargain with him. At the end of the book, Aru learns about his betrayal and is shocked and angry.

### Aru Shah and the City of Gold

Aru tells her sisters of Boo's betrayal after escaping from the Sleeper's lair. At first, her sisters refuse to believe her, but they eventually receive confirmation that he did. Boo isn't present for most of the book's events, but shows up towards the end of the book during the battle at Lanka. He tries to make up with the Pandava siblings, but they don't listen to him. In the end, Boo sacrifices himself for the Pandavas. He is reborn as a fire bird at the end of the book.

## Appearance

Boo looked like a normal pigeon, but had the shadow of a human.

## Personality

 Boo was a very grumpy and crochety old bird and often wallowed in misery, loudly, about the state of affair the world was in. Despite his complaining, Boo's realized that what he did as Shakhuni i was unjustified, and was determined to help his Pandavas to make up for it.

Boo was very caring, despite his grumpy attitude. He cared a lot for 'his' Pandavas, even if he showed it by forcing them to study relentlessly. He even went as far as betraying the Pandavas in an attempt to return to his more powerful form so he could better protect them from the Sleeper.

## Relationships

### **ARU SHAH** (friend, protege)

Aru liked Boo a lot -- when he was revealed to be Shakhuni, she forgave him quickly, and was quick to jump to his defense. However, she was not very respectful to him, especially when he forces her to do Pandava training. Later, in *Aru Shah and the Tree of Wishes*, she feels betrayed by him, discovering that he conspired with the Sleeper and was partly responsible for Sheela's kidnapping. In *Aru Shah and the City of Gold*, Aru feels very resentful of Boo, discovering that he tried to convince Kubera to ignore the Potatoes when they came asking for his help, calling them "weak children". When he appears during their battle with the Sleeper's army, Aru is incredibly angry at him, and fulfills his curse by yelling at him, "I wish you would just get out of our lives!" Aru's wish becomes true when Boo dies while trying to protect the Potatoes from an attack from the Sleeper's army. Aru later feels very guilty and upset, but is happier when she discovers Boo's soul lives within a new bird that hatches from a flame-colored egg. She and the other Potatoes witness the hatching of the new bird, which makes Aru very happy.

### **MINI KAPOOR MERCADO-LOPEZ** (friend, protege)

Mini cared deeply for Boo. She forgave him quickly after it was revealed that he was Shakhuni. In *Aru Shah and the City of Gold*, Mini feels angry with Boo, discovering that he tried to convince Kubera to ignore the Potatoes when they came asking for his help, calling them "weak children". When he appears during their battle with the Sleeper's army, Mini is very upset at him. After Boo dies, she mourns him, but feels somewhat better when Kubera gives them an egg that will hatch a bird with Boo's soul. She and her friends witness the hatching of the new fire bird, which cheers her up.

### **BRYNNE RAO** (friend, protege)

Brynne and Boo had a close relationship. Boo would constantly tell Brynne that he was the strongest out of his Pandavas. When Aru first tells Brynne that Boo is a traitor, Brynne refuses to believe her. Later, when Kubera confirms that Boo indeed is a traitor, and that he called the Pandavas "weak children", Brynne is incredibly angry at him and says she hates him, insists she is not as weak as he says. She later comes to realize that she wanted Aru to be wrong about Boo betraying them because she cared about him too much. When Boo appears during the battle of Lanka, Brynne is angry at him, but when he dies, she mourns for him. She feels a little better when Kubera gives the Pandavas an egg that will hatch a new bird with Boo's soul. She and her friends witness the hatching of the new fire bird, which cheers her up.

### **SUYODHANA/THE SLEEPER** (former friend, former enemy, distrustful ally)

Boo was with the Sleeper before Boo turned into a pigeon. However, in *Aru Shah and the End of Time*, the Sleeper has no qualms with taunting and caging Boo. Boo also is eager to defeat the Sleeper, but decides to strike a deal with him in *Aru Shah and the Tree of Wishes* in order to protect the Pandavas.

### **HANUMAN** (acquaintance, friend)

Boo worked with Hanuman on the Council of Guardians long ago. When they met up in Aru Shah and the End of Time, Hanuman is vaguely amused at Boo’s predicament. Later, he and Boo work together as mentors to the Pandavas, and Hanuman cares about Boo when he’s shuffled off to prison.

### **URVASHI** (former unfriendly acquaintance, friend)

Urvashi makes fun of Boo at the beginning of *Aru Shah and the End of Time*. However, it is shown she cared for him, becoming teary-eyed when Boo was forced into custody in *Aru Shah and the Song of Death*.

## Powers

### Curse

Boo was cursed to take the form of a pigeon until a wish freed him from it. His wish came in the form of Aru saying, "I wish you would just get out of our lives!" Boo was freed from his curse, but at the price of dying.