What if Azul and Kalim ended up in Royal Sword Academy instead of Night Raven College?
We explore how different Azul and Jamil's dynamic would be in this alternate universe.
Jamil continues his visit in Royal Sword Academy with Azul by his side, visiting the outdoor cafeteria before finding himself on the threshold of the merman's dorm.
Word Count: 5,904
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"Thanks for answering my question honestly, especially since it was a rather personal one. And that was a fun game," Azul's voice becomes a little more playful. "Perhaps next time you can ask me ten questions."
"Heh. Sure. You've been pretty honest with me so far, though, so do you still have any secrets left?" he jokes.
"Oh, has the game started already?" Azul raises an eyebrow.
"No. I don't even have a reward to aim for." Jamil replies, crossing out into the corridors.
Azul chuckles, though there seems to be a hint of nervousness in it somehow. "You mentioned basketball practice earlier, you're part of the club at NRC?"
"Ah. Yep, with Floyd," Jamil nods. "Why?"
"Oh, nothing," Azul gives a half shrug. "I just realized that I'd never watched a basketball game before. I'm not even entirely sure how it works."
"You haven't? Not even here?" Jamil remembers facing RSA's basketball team. Their matches would lead to a frustrating defeat, as usual.
Azul shakes his head. "I'm often busy attending to other things during the games, and I had no one to watch play or show support for, anyway, since I don't really have any close friends on the basketball team. Or, at least, I didn't," he smiles.
"Consider me honored to expose you to the world of regular sports, then," Jamil says with a playful flourish. "As a spectator, all you gotta know about basketball is that there are two teams with five active players each. You score every time you throw the basketball into the enemy team's hoop. The games are divided into four quarters, which vary in time depending on the level of play and when it's over, whichever team's got the most points wins."
"Oh, so it's similar to football?" Azul asks. "In the sense that there's one ball that each team has to throw into the area of the other team. Though if I remember correctly, you can't use your hands in football."
"Yeah, and in basketball, you can only use your hands, and you can't take more than two steps just carrying the ball. You either gotta bounce it on the floor or pass it to another player," Jamil explains. "You can prolly imagine what a terror Floyd can be there... both as an enemy and as an ally."
Azul laughs lightly as they walk along Main Square. "Has he ever passed the ball too hard and injured a teammate?"
"Multiple times, with no end in sight," Jamil shakes his head at the memory. "And that's him in a good mood. It'd be a miracle to get him to stay interested in playing the court for more than ten minutes, But if you've got a keen eye for putting him in at the right time—when he does get serious—he's a valuable teammate."
