Shanty of Aravior the Alacritous

Shanty of Aravior the Alacritous
unplottable

The Shanty of Aravior the Alacritous is the joint residence and business of an ancient, mysterious alchemist who goes by the name of Aravior the Alacritous. His expertise was once used by the Ministry of Magic, but he now lives in the shanty mentoring younger alchemists periodically. His current mentee is Kitt Kaeomani, who is often tasked with menial caretaking of the home and the wizard's cat — Frunilorh. As of recently, there has been a vexed ghost haunting the shanty, causing wreck and havoc through the premises in revenge over the adoption of his orphaned cat — Jellybean.

Kitt Kaeomani

alchemist in training
paintedred

Aravior refuses to be *perceived* so he has been tasked with receiving the representative from the Spirit Division as his mentor's most trusted companion. Curled up near his ankle is Fru, Aravior's second most trusted companion, though Kitt is well-aware he is at risk of being dethroned soon. Frunilorh has only been with them for two months now but he has already captured both their hearts. Kitt has been thinking of bringing Som to the shanty one day to meet her so that the two of them can become friends, but Aravior has advised against it because he 'feels in his bones' that the two felines would become adverse enemies. Kitt doesn't buy it. He thinks it would be cute for the two of them to meet, but that is just him wanting his two favorite cats to get along. As he waits patiently for the representative, he hears the familiar cackle of Aravior's other new housemate – the pesky ghoul – before a crash and a long string of curses coming from his mentor. He has been trying to be kind and patient with the ghost because he knows it's what Fionn and Fatiha would want him to do, but admittedly it is difficult even for him especially since the spirit has started messing with his alchemy experiments.

Fatiha Hassani

york sociology student • spirit division intern
ateleia

*Crack!* As Fatiha settles into the surrounding environment, tucking her wand into the opposing sleeve of the traditional Moroccan witches' attire, she notes the sudden lack of buzzing from her mobile device. Gazing at the ramshackle shanty, the woman removes the related assignment folder from an impressively sized pocket in her overcoat, flicking her wrist as she waves a gentle hand over it to turn through its contents quickly and with ease. A sigh later and the woman is shoveling a small caramel into her mouth to sooth herself — just at the sight of a comically written *BEWARE: CLIENT PRONE TO DIFFICULTY* in bright red on the first page. Yesterday, when she was first given this assignment, she had glanced at it and tossed it to the bottom of her stack, and she notices now that she ought to disguise this in case it were to offend Mr. Alacritous. In acknowledgement of this, she shuffles this page behind the rest, nodding in contentment before treading through the mud toward the wizard's shack. Fatiha notes the equally comical *No Soliciting* signs posted in front of the remote shanty, smiling to herself as she glances inside through a nearby mossy window and gives the wooden door a hard knock.

Kitt Kaeomani

alchemist in training
paintedred

When he hears the knock at the door, Kitt considers for a moment calling out to Aravior to let him know that the Spirits Division has arrived, but then decides against it once he hears a small explosion followed by the clanging of some metals together. Kitt decides his mentor has his hands full, then, and besides it would take far too long for Aravior to get to the entrance given the shanty is much bigger on the inside. Smoothing down his clothes and trying to look presentable in a nearby mirror, Kitt smiles at his reflection before going to the door and opening it wide. Fru follows obediently behind, as if unwilling to be parted from him. That's fair, Kitt thinks, he wouldn't want to be caught in the middle of the crossfire between Aravior and the ghoul either. "Helloooo – " he says, already smiling widely before immediately realizing who it is. The cheerful expression on his face somehow brightens even more as he takes in the sight of Fatiha. "Fatiha!" he exclaims excitedly. "What are you doing here? Oh, *oh*! *You* are the representative from the Spirits Division?" He prattles on, stepping aside and gesturing for her to enter the shanty. It is chaotic on the inside; various cleaning materials roam about having been enchanted to deal with the upkeep of the abode because both Kitt and his mentor tend to leave things scattered and there are dozens of vials and other experiments that are spread across even the living room area. "That is just *stellar*. I will have to tell Aravior that they sent us the best person in the department. I mean, I don't know any of your coworkers, but I just know that you must be the best one, what with SPECTER and all... *SPECTER*! I was thinking about SPECTER just now because of the whole debacle with – " His energy is bouncing off the walls, but he stops himself when he realizes that she has not been able to get a word in. "I am *so* sorry. I'm just excited to see you. How have you been?" Suddenly, Kitt is nervous. He hasn't seen her or any of the others very much since graduation when he said goodbye to everyone, having been whisked away on this program. Perhaps this reunion isn't as thrilling for her?

Fatiha Hassani

york sociology student • spirit division intern
ateleia

At the sudden unveiling of her old friend from behind the oversized wooden door, Fatiha's heart noticeably misses a beat, and her chest contracts with a sudden and all-consuming nervousness. Even as Kitt moves aside for her to enter, she stands with her muddy boots fixed on the worn doormat outside, eyes equally as fixed on his ever-charming face as he chatters on. "Hello," she starts, sounding uneasy although she has still managed a flushed smile. Remaining still in the doorway, the witch withdraws her wand and casts a charm to rid her boots of the mossy mud before moving through the entrance with a slight hint of mysticism. Fatiha has been saving some of her money aside for fancier boots which have been charmed to be self-cleaning; she had even thought to mention it last time she ran into their old classmate Liliana since she knew she had been studying practical and magical fashion at Pondhilde. "It's nice seeing you." Sometime in the last two and a half years, it had occurred to her at least twice that something serious could have happened to Kitt. So, as much as she is a little heartbroken by the distant friendship, she is all the more relieved to find that he has just been holing himself alongside Mr. Alacritous. "It really is," she says again, an obvious relief to her voice this time. "And I have been great. My program at York has been pleasant, and interning at the Spirit Division has been thrilling... All is well." Of course, she can't start bombarding him with the more hellish details of the last few years, so she makes a conscious choice to lie. A weird taste lingers in her mouth, but she blames the weird odor lingering in the air. "How have you been, um–?" *Sir,* she thinks on instinct, but she resists out of desire to not make this any more awkward for herself.