Azul was instrumental in Leona’s plot of Book 2, using his position as head of the tournament planning committee to rearrange the procession of athletes so that they pass through narrower paths than previous years—possibly to make Ruggie’s stampede more dangerous than it would have been on a wider street—and creating the magic-boosting potion that makes the stampede possible.
In the novel adaptation of Book 2 this scene was changed so that it was actually the first time that the procession had ever happened, Azul possibly introducing it to the event to set the stage for Leona’s plan.
“The march itself was suggested by the chair of the spelldrive tournament management committee, the housewarden of Octavinelle.”
Directly before the stampede, Azul is described as guiding spectators into the narrow area that Ruggie targets. (Novel information is not canon to the game, but interesting.)
”Whether the spectators all had the same idea, or whether they were kindly guided by the event committee chairman, the roadsides are packed with onlookers.”
Jade seems to suspect that Azul knew more details of Leona’s plan that he is willing to admit. Azul presents Lilia with a seafood dish and dessert as a farewell token at his party in Book 7, to which Lilia responds, “I believe that makes us even for the time you aided the lion cub and his accomplice at the Spelldrive tournament,” but Azul says, “I haven’t the slightest idea what you’re talking about.”
He also denies any knowledge of Leona’s plans in Book 7, saying, “I, the head of the spelldrive tournament planning committee, was positively aghast when I first learned of Leona’s plan. It was MOST deplorable,” and telling Ruggie, “All I did was fulfill a client order for a magic-boosting potion. By the terms of our contract, I bear no responsibility for what it’s used for or any problems it causes. Why, I never DREAMED he would use it for nefarious purposes.” (Ruggie: “You’re so blatant about lying, I’m actually impressed.”)
Leona has made multiple deals with Azul in the past, but he says he has never put his magic up for collateral, and we have yet to hear any details about their contracts.
When Ruggie asks Leona about the uncharacteristic amount of advice that he volunteers to Jack and the others in Book 3 Leona says that he intends to use the younger students to learn Azul’s weakness.
While acknowledging that Leona being willing to meet with the prefect and Grim after they are evicted from Ramshackle is “somewhat unexpected,” Azul refuses to let the twins target Leona, saying, “He’s a lazy lion at heart. He doesn’t believe in sticking his neck out for others or seeking trouble. I concur with your view that he would be troublesome to have as an enemy, but rivalry is a two-way street. He wouldn’t dream of making an enemy out of me by choice.”
But Leona does involve himself in the situation with Azul: after stealing Azul’s contracts from the Mostro Lounge vault Leona offers to make a deal, asking, “What are you prepared to offer me if I return these contracts to you?”
Azul says that he will do anything, offering study guides, a graduation thesis, and to pad his attendance, but Leona refuses, sanding Azul’s contracts before his eyes. Ruggie seems to suspect that Leona’s involvement was less selfless as it seems, guessing that Leona wanted to take advantage of the situation to get rid of his past contracts with Azul.
Leona destroying the contracts becomes the catalyst for Azul’s overblot, with Ruggie saying, “This is your fault for gettin’ his hopes up and then dashing ’em on the rocks,” in reference to Leona teasing Azul with a potential deal when he possibly had no intention of sparing the contracts in the first place, and that was possibly a factor: in Book 4 Azul tell Grim, “Unlike Leona, I don’t torment others for sport. I never do more than what is strictly necessary.”
The two overlap again Book 6, where Azul is offered the choice between teaming with Leona or Riddle. Leona is ambivalent, and Azul chooses Riddle, saying, “Leona’s desiccating signature spell would be a poor fit with a merman.” After several argument with Riddle, however, Azul reflects, “If I’d known (Riddle would) be like this, I would’ve gone with Leona and just called my sanded contracts water under the bridge…”
It is Azul who comes up with the idea for how to awaken Leona (“if we take away his authority as king-his metaphorical controller, He’ll have to stop playing whether or not he wants to”), and he also plays a role in recreating the events of Book 2 to force Leona awake.
Silver says that Azul has taken “considerable damage” after the events of Leona’s dream, and Azul tells Leona, “I expect you to properly reciprocate.”
Azul teases Leona about the events of Book 2 during a housewarden meeting in Book 5, offering his assistance to Riddle by saying, “I already have plenty of experience after handling the uproar at the interdorm Spelldrive tournament.” Leona is not pleased.
Azul has a voiceline about Leona looking “almost princely, even…ah, silly me. He IS a prince,” and calls him a “poor excuse for nobility” during Fairy Gala.
Being informed of a new group assignment during NBC Leona says, “The best part is that nobody from Octavinelle’s here,” to which Azul responds, “No need to bemoan our absence, Leona. Believe me, I’m just as disappointed as you.”
When Leona reports to Jack that he is waiting for Halloweentown musicians Azul says, “In other words, you’re sitting around doing nothing at all,” and both Azul and Jade tease Leona about being a “cruel teammate” to Skully.
Leona: “Yeah, that’s right, I am cruel. I oughta learn some benevolence from you two guys chucklin’ behind his back.”
Azul: “Oh, I doubt I could possibly have anything to teach you there, Leona.”
Grim: “This team’s leavin’ a sour taste in my mouth…”
Azul and Jade join forces again later on to tease Leona about presumably being tone deaf, but after Leona proves otherwise (by singing a children’s song that Azul and Jade join in on, the three singing all together) Azul shifts gears, offering Leona the opportunity to perform at Mostro Lounge. Leona responds, “Here’s my compensation package: you guys can go up against a Savanaclaw team in spelldrive…if I get publicly humiliated, so do you.”
Azul is rejected by Eliza shortly after Leona during the Phantom Bride event, with Leona saying, “You’re not gonna get anywhere talkin’ a lady’s ear off.” Azul responds, “Leona, you were the first to be rejected. You’re hardly in a position to act SMUG.”
When Jack trips a trap set by Jade during Beanfest, breaking a bottle of durian juice inside the school store, Azul tells Sam, “You can bill the broken bottle and any associated cleaning expenses to Leona.”
While Leona does not seem to be a very big fan of Azul, he acknowledges Azul’s strength in both Books 6 and 7, calling Azul “a housewarden-class mage”) and saying, “Azul’s got maneuvers for days, just like an octopus should. He’s a quick thinker and knows how to put himself in an advantageous position. He probably struggled a lot adapting to life on land, but he sees that as a strength.”
Twisted Wonderland Reference Note 