Ruggie and Azul

Azul and Ruggie share a mutual appreciation for money that they seem to recognize in one another. Ruggie says that while he’s “usually not a big fan of snooty know-it-alls” (Azul: “I myself am not particularly fond of tiny dogs who bark incessantly”), they have worked out a win-win situation between them through the combination of Ruggie’s work ethic and Azul having work for Ruggie to do.

Ruggie and Azul disagree with Jack and Sebek’s handling of the situation in Book 7 when the two younger students are offended by the heckling of palace guards.

Ruggie scolds them with “Pride doesn’t fill an empty stomach” and Azul follows with, “What’s the point of defending your honor if it puts us in physical danger…?”

Floyd compares the two during Vargas Camp when it is revealed that Ruggie was hiding a magestone with the intent to sell it despite a monster attack (“You could give Azul a run for his money”).

During Halloween Ruggie catches on to Azul’s idea for solving the school’s Magicam Monster problem faster than the other students. 

Also like Azul, Ruggie does not seems to like feeling indebted to anyone: he refuses to allow Jack to help him around campus (suspecting an ulterior motive) much to Grim’s surprise (“I woulda thought that Ruggie’d be like, ‘Sweet!’ if you offered to do stuff for him”), and when Jack does manage to do him a favor Ruggie immediately suspects him of expecting compensation.

In the end Ruggie says that he would feel better if Jack wanted something in exchange and says he will do anything within his power for him. 

During Beanfest Ruggie betrays his team by protecting Leona in exchange for a week’s worth of the school cafeteria’s “daily special”. 

Ruggie fails to protect Leona from Jack, and Azul blackmails him into joining their group in exchange for not revealing Ruggie’s conduct to Vargas. When Ruggie decides to quit the game he does so by taking a bean from Floyd that had been meant for Azul.

Azul seems suspicious of Ruggie’s motivation but Ruggie denies any ulterior motives, leaving Jack to Azul.

Azul is unknowingly a key player in Ruggie’s plot to earn money during Port Fest: Azul convinces Crowley to reward the students for their work and Ruggie says, “I knew Azul would say exactly that!”

Despite contracting with Leona to provide the magic-boosting potion that enables Ruggie’s stampede of Book 2, Azul has never admitted to knowing what it was that Savanaclaw had been planning.

In Book 7 he denies any and all knowledge of the plot, to which Ruggie responds, “You’re so blatant about lying, I’m actually impressed.”

In Book 3 Ruggie explains how Azul isn’t the kind of person you want to turn to as your first resort for help, even though his study guide “is the real deal” and his pride would never allow him to give someone an ineffective potion. 

When Jack accuses Azul of cheating, Ruggie and Leona explain that Azul is just immensely powerful, and both express exasperation at Grim’s belief in everything Azul tells him.

After Azul’s overblot Ruggie empathizes, saying, “I can’t exactly blame a guy for gettin’ bent outta shape when something you’ve been building up for years gets ruined. I mean, if someone broke the coin bank I’ve been saving my money in, I’d hold a grudge for life.”

Ruggie impresses Azul while working a shift at Mostro Lounge: due to the volume of customers Azul decides to cut off the queue but Ruggie suggests that they send dining area staff to the kitchen, volunteering to compensate for the lack of manpower by himself. Azul reluctantly agrees and Ruggie fulfills his promise.

Ruggie might be a regular employee of Mostro Lounge, despite being from another dorm: in a flashback we see it was during one of his shifts that Azul discovered Ruggie’s ability to identify coins by the sound they make.

When Jack is reluctant to wake Ruggie up from his dream it is Azul who convinces him to do so, pointing out that Ruggie gains nothing from being well fed in the dream world, and while his father may have come home in the dream the family that he actually knows—his grandmother—thinks that he is missing.

“Would he really want to be the only one in his family enjoying a happy life and a full stomach?” Jack agrees that remaining asleep is not what Ruggie would want.

It is Azul who comes up with the idea for awakening Ruggie: dropping coins in larger and larger denominations. Ruggie is thrilled by the sound but confused by why he is “getting so giddy over finding a little loose change.”

Ruggie dives into a fountain to retrieve one of Azul’s thrown coins while Azul taunts him with, “As strongly as you protest, your actions tell another story altogether. You want it badly, don’t you? Be honest, Ruggie. Self-restraint isn’t healthy, you know. Just admit it…you want it more than anything!,” successfully awakening Ruggie.