Azul Consultations

Both Azul and Jade have lines about Azul being available to listen to any problems others may have (“The more personal troubles I learn, the better”), and Azul says that, while he “can grant any wish,” he has a rule to only take on intellectual work.

Azul offers his consultation services to the prefect, to Vil, to Diasomnia, to Deuce, to Kalim, to members of the Beanfest Committee, and more.

After Book 3 Azul is forbidden from taking powers from other students and responds by introducing a point system at Mostro Lounge where spending enough money can earn customers a free consultation with him.

We see an example of one of Azul’s consultations in a vignette where he offers to teach Silver how to act like a leader. After his three-hour consultation, however, Sebek tells Silver that his attempts to follow Azul’s instructions make him look ridiculous.

Despite the setback, Azul declares the consultation a success, as he accomplished his goal of putting Silver in his debt.

Azul did not seem to require or arrange a contract with Silver, which he often does when putting effort into something on another’s behalf, and it seems that his contracts are not always magic-imbued: Azul has Grim agree to sign a contract about accepting a can of tuna in exchange for his labor and has Vil sign a contract to receive skin toner, and neither instance seems to utilize the golden contracts of his unique magic.

When Ortho and Trey fall into a lake while fishing and ask for Azul and Jade’s help Azul responds, “For the right price, of course,” and Jade asks for ten minutes to draw up a contract, but Trey and Ortho ultimately seem to get themselves out on their own.

Leona explains, “The guy who wants something outta a deal is always the one at a disadvantage. That’s Negotiating 101,” and says that “Azul makes very carefully worded offers…the only way to win against Azul is to not make a contract at all.”

Azul loses all his contracts in Book 3, but in Book 4 he claims—while pretending to be hypnotized by Jamil—that he remembers all the secrets of those with whom he has contracted, including a the one thing that Crowley would never want others to learn. As he was possibly telling Jamil what he wanted to hear at the time, it is a little unclear how accurate this information is.

We see how Azul runs his consultation services in Book 3: someone who defaulted on a contract and then refuses his summons is brought in to the lounge and forced into confessing by Jade, then attacked by Floyd. 

Over 200 students who failed to fulfill the terms of their contracts gather in Mostro Lounge, where Azul explains, “You made a bet with me, and subsequently lost. As per the terms of our contract, you are to devote yourselves to my service until such time as you graduate.”

Ruggie estimates that Azul had collected “around five to six hundred” contracts by the end of Book 3, while Leona guesses that Azul had “probably been trapping people in contracts and stockpiling ’em since long before he enrolled” at NRC.