Kalim and the Main Story (pt2)

After Jamil’s overblot Kalim begins to cry, saying, “I drove Jamil to the brink without even realizing it.

The real Jamil would never do such things! He’s a good guy. He’s always helping me giving me a shoulder to lean on, and—“, but Floyd interrrupts with, “you’re, like…TOO nice.” Jade agrees, saying, “The way you blame yourself and try to excuse his behavior is, quite frankly, a tad galling.”

Kalim insists that Jamil would never betray him and Azul explains, “You carry yourself like a goody-two-shoes, laughing off conflict with a flippant word or two. To twisted individuals like myself and Jamil…ah, I mean, to calculating individuals those remarks are like barbs digging under our skin. I’d say you’ve been pushing Jamil ever since your formative years. It’s not your fault in the least, of course. You were born into a very high social class. As showered as you were with affection from your family and everyone around you, you grew up with honesty and integrity. An upbringing like that would make anyone take certain things for granted.”

Jade follows with how, in Kalim’s case, “it might simply be a case of naturally innocent disposition.”

The group returns and Kalim denounces Jamil as a coward and a traitor, insisting that Jamil face him in combat so that he might win back the housewarden seat that Jamil stole from him.

Jamil responds, “You accuse ME of stealing? Hmph! How dare you. YOU’RE the one who stole everything from ME!”.

In Jamil’s overblot flashback it is revealed how, as a child, Jamil was struck and scolded by his parents for not intentionally losing games to “Master Kalim,” his father apologizing to and thanking Kalim for playing with his “foolish son.”

Jamil says that his earliest memory is of seeing his family bow before Kalim and his parents.

Jamil was forced to fail and watch Kalim “smiling obliviously” as he spent his whole life deferring everything to Kalim.

Once Jamil regains consciousness Kalim apologizes for how much he put Jamil through, saying that they can “stop holding back on account of our social status. Starting today, we can be rivals that compete in earnest for the spot of number one. I want us to be equals…and I want us to be friends, Jamil.”

Jamil responds, “NOT! ON! YOUR! LIFE! You thoughtless, sloppy, idiotic, clumsy, ludicrously oblivious, arrogant, delicate, pampered little rich boy! Who in their right mind would ever voluntarily be your friend?!”

Jamil vows to never throw another competition again against Kalim or anyone else.

We get several examples throughout the game of Jamil deferring to Kalim, such as during Fireit Sky when Cater and Trey comment on how Jamil would obviously let Kalim win games of kick-the-can (Kalim: “I won every game”) and how Kalim has driven Jamil “half neurotic.”

Also during Firelit Sky Jamil is offered “the highest honor” of launching the fireworks for the festival and immediately responds, “the honor should go to Kalim”.

In a vignette Crowley compliments Jamil’s cooking and Jamil responds, “You should thank Kalim for orchestrating the menu. And besides, I’m only a good cook because of all the time I spent in the Asim household.”

Jamil’s follow-up comment of “It is all thanks to Kalim” was removed from EN.

It is a common theme throughout the game that Leona knows more about what is going on in the school than most of the others, and there is a vignette where he mentions that Kalim doesn’t seem to realize that “one of these nights could be his last.”

When Jamil assures him that his mind has “not once wandered too much heinous deeds” Leona responds, “You keep tellin’ yourself that.” Kalim continues to insist he is friends with Jamil, and Jamil continues to insist otherwise.

In Book 5 it is revealed that Kalim convinced Scarabia Dorm to accept Jamil’s continued presence as vice housewarden as Jamil “is not the only one at fault for this mess. I share some of the blame…He let dark thoughts get the better of him for a brief time. Other than that, he’s a perfectly capable guy.”

Jamil says that “it makes sense for me to fall in line with Kalim for a while, in the interest of improving my position both within Scarabia and without.”