About Laurent Charlavant
Backstory
Born into a long line of French seers, Laurent showed early talent for divination, but an even stronger inclination toward drama.
After formal training abroad (the details of which he describes differently each time), Charlavant settled into academic life at Penwick. Over the years, his reputation has solidified: a capable diviner, an indulgent teacher, and a man who compensates for deep-seated anxieties, particularly about storms, by layering himself in scent, silk, and wards.
Appearance
Professor Charlavant is a thin, fashionably attired man, always muffled in draped shawls which pool at his feet whenever he sits. He is a connoisseur of soft materials, loose-fitting clothes, and accessories.
He has a dozen silver bracelets on each of his arms, rings on almost all of his fingers, and he smells strongly, or rather aggressively, of a cologne with a prominent citrus note. For Charlavant, it’s "just a light spritz.”
Personality
Charlavant is a tender, indulgent, and theatrical character. He speaks in a low voice, ambles instead of walking, and interacts in a classroom situation as if it were about to be a dramatic act.
Charlavant isn't cruel, but he's also very intrusive. For him, neither is emotional privacy mere suggestion, not a hard and fast rule.
It is no secret, and a personal embarrassment to him, that he is frightened out of his wits by thunderstorms and loud sounds. The armor he dons is unnecessary, excessive, and at times redundant… but it would demand an acknowledgment of fear, which he cannot bring himself to do.