Jamil begins Book 6 being unimpressed by Leona, reluctantly paired up with him and not looking pleased when one of the first thing Leona does it throw one of his hair accessories into Tartarus in order to estimate the depth.
They begin with Jamil trying to protect Leona from potential hazards (“You’re the second prince of the Sunset Savanna and a housewarden. It only makes sense that I should take point…I’m worried, okay? I wouldn’t be able to bear the responsibility if anything happened to you…”) and Leona dismissing him.
Jamil consistently tries to take on dangerous roles by himself and act as a shield for Leona, and they get into an argument when they are attacked by a phantom that Leona had been trying to lure into a passage but Jamil interferes, getting injured in his attempt to sacrifice himself for Leona.
Jamil is not pleased when Leona observes that he has been “saddled with extra weight” by partnering with Jamil, saying, “He’ll be in for a very rude awakening if he keeps acting like this. And then he’ll rue the day he ignored my advice.”
In the next section Jamil realizes that he is burning through his magic reserves and must conserve his energy, but still disapproves of Leona breaking open cages and handling phantoms on his own.
When Jamil tells Leona to stay away while he investigates a seemingly empty cage, Leona saves him from an attacking phantom, and Jamil reluctantly admits that continuing to work with him is “tactically sound.”
Leona sends Jamil on ahead to find the thunder spear during an attack by the ice titan and Jamil only reluctantly fetches Leona as he has been instructed rather than try to wield the weapon by himself (Leona: “Looks like this time a certain good boy managed to keep his hand outta the cookie jar”).
While descending into Tartarus Jamil offers to carry the thunder spear after it has recharged and Leona finally loses his patience, though he still saves Jamil from another phantom attack.
Leona explains, “You’re not being thoughtful or careful. You’re just bein’ pushy,” and accurately evaluates Jamil some who looks down on those around him while still being “a far cry” from the two second-year housewardens: “So what do you bring to the table?”
Jamil continues to disapprove of the way that Leona deals with the phantoms in Tartarus but gradually comes to realize that Leona’s methodology is effective, whether he likes it or not.
After some teasing Jamil, too, loses his patience, telling Leona that he has no idea what he has been through. But Leona is perceptive, as we see in a vignette where he reads Jamil’s facial expression well enough to accurately guess that Jamil has unpleasant opinions about him and even that he is a danger to Kalim.
Leona says that he knows a little about what Jamil is dealing with, and points out that Kalim’s money gives him a special form of power, as money is the greatest source of charisma there is, which Jamil has not considered.
Later Jamil asks if he is being a burden to Leona and Leona, in a moment of being more perceptive than even he might realize, asks, “Were you repressed growin’ up or something?”
Leona uses Jack and Ruggie as examples of how Jamil, too, can still do better than he is (“After all, you’re not like me”), giving Jamil a lot to think about: “Is he right about me…?”
As Jamil tires out he loses his customer-service demeanor, and Leona says, “It’s just you’re showin’ your emotions more. You’re not bothering to hide your annoyance…it’s a lot better than your usual, sycophantic attitude.”
When Leona teases Jamil about giving him extra work Jamil starts to apologize and Leona responds, “You can’t let some random quip destroy your self-esteem. You know better than that,” later reflecting, “I can’t tell if he’s thick-skinned or just the opposite.”
Jamil starts to reevaluate his opinion of Leona in Tartarus, admitting that he is impressed: “He’s got more than magical talent, too. He also has a vast breadth of knowledge and calm judgment…Leona’s magic really is incredible. It’s so potent and efficient. And I thought I could protect this guy?”
In their second battle with the ice titan Jamil finally allows Leona to lead the fight without argument, and later thanks him, admitting that he has been arrogant. Having realized what it is that Leona was trying to teach him Jamil says–“I’ve always judged those around me as stupid, incompetent, lazy, or just plain good-for-nothing,” (Leona: “Wonder who that last one was aimed at”).
When Leona asks if he sees himself more clearly now Jamil says, “Yes. I haven’t even caught up to my peers. Which means…I have more room to grow than anyone else, right?
(Leona: “Hahaha! Listen to you!” – Jamil: “Heh. Didn’t you say shamelessness was a strength?”)
Leona again teases Jamil, ordering him to find food, refusing plain water, and demanding a bed.
Once Leona starts preparing orders for when they return to school Jamil finally interrupts, possibly catching on to Leona’s sense of humor, and saying, “I’m not about to accept a life spent attending to someone else. I never have, and I never will!”
Jamil and Leona’s overlap in Book 6 comes up in Book 7 when, watching Jamil battle through darkness to reach Malleus, Leona asks if he is not running off on his own again. When Jamil explains that he is delegating certain fights to Kalim Leona says, ” Considering the way you kept spinning your wheels on the Island of Woe, that’s some impressive progress.”
Jamil responds, “It’s called personal growth,” saying that he will show Leona what he can really do.
Twisted Wonderland Reference Note 