Dimentio's business went through a complete transformation. It went from a failing shop that nobody dared to visit to becoming the most popular pie place in all of Flopside and Flipside. People were flocking to his doors just to get a taste of his mouthwatering meat pies. The increased income allowed Dimentio to finally give his place a much-needed makeover. He spruced it up and made it look far more appealing. And that's not all! He also created a charming outdoor dining area, beautifully decorated with flowers and such.

As people flooded in, Luigi helped everyone get situated and worked as a waiter. Ever since Mario's mysterious disappearance, Dimentio had been kind enough to let the man in green stay with him and help. Not only was Luigi good at serving the food, but he was also great at getting outside and spreading the word about Dimentio's delicious meat pies. Was he overworked? Yes, definitely, but the man in green never complained. In fact, to him it almost felt like a blessing in disguise that Mario left him behind. After all, Dimentio was much kinder to him than Mario ever was. Dimentio even let him keep his own tips! And he got his own bed and room to stay in. Once it became clear that Mario wasn't coming back for him, the jester turned an old pantry into a cute little room for the man in green to live in. It was painful knowing that Mario left without saying goodbye, but at least Dimentio was there to help him through the hard times!

Of course, Dimentio never let him down into the basement to help cook the pies, no matter how badly Luigi wanted to. The jester always said it was safer upstairs, waiting tables and such. Luigi didn't know what could be so dangerous about baking pies, but he never really pushed Dimentio for answers. He was just grateful for a place to stay. 

"Dimentio!" Luigi exclaimed with delight as he spotted the jester carrying a tray of freshly baked pies. Without hesitation, Luigi eagerly took the tray from Dimentio's hands and dashed outside to serve the hungry customers. With careful steps, he placed the tray in front of a famished couple who wasted no time devouring the scrumptious food.

"Grambi, that's good," the woman giggled, tossing Luigi a few extra coins as a tip. The man in green smiled at the golden coins in his hands, then placed them in his pocket. Back when he lived with Mario, all his tips would go to his older brother. After all, Mario was really the one who deserved them, being the epic hero of the Mushroom Kingdom. Now that Luigi could keep the money, he didn't really have much of a plan for what to do with all the coins. He supposed he could try and save up for his own place to live, but a part of him liked where he was currently. He only hoped that he wasn't annoying Dimentio. The jester usually seemed happy to have him around, but he could never tell. 

"Nice to see you, my friends. Thank you for coming," chimed the jester, his wide smile radiating as he gracefully moved through the crowd, greeting each customer with warmth. Gone were his old, tattered jester clothes and cracked mask. Now, he donned a fresh outfit and a flawless mask. Every time he performed on his newly repaired stage, the room would erupt with cheers and applause. He was no longer alone; people traveled from far and wide just to savor a bite of his delectable pies.

Dimentio couldn't believe his luck! Not only did he have Count Bleck by his side, but now he had gained a new friend in Luigi. It was a trio that he never expected, but one that brought him immense joy. Luigi's kindhearted nature and unwavering optimism were truly inspiring. He worked tirelessly, always giving his best, and had an incredible ability to see the best in everyone. 

Little did Luigi know the secret behind the mouthwatering taste of the pies.

Dimentio didn't have the heart to spill the beans to Luigi. He saw no point in bursting his bubble. Things were finally falling into place in Dimentio's life, and he didn't feel so alone anymore. With Luigi and Count Bleck by his side, he felt a sense of belonging, happiness, and success that he always had longed for.

Just as Dimentio was greeting everyone, the old beggar woman rushed in, yelling about whatever was on her mind at the moment. Dimentio rolled his eyes, then told Luigi to throw her out. The man in green nodded, then quickly rushed over to her, carefully leading her out of Dimentio's establishment.

"EVIL, EVIL!" the woman exclaimed, her voice filled with fear and urgency. She tightly gripped Luigi's arms, her eyes fixed on the ominous black smoke billowing from Dimentio's shop chimney. "Mischief! Jaydes' work, Jaydes's work! City on fire..."

Luigi gently spoke to the distressed woman, his voice filled with empathy. "Miss, I understand your concern, but I need you to release your grip," he whispered, trying to calm her down. Sensing her desperation, he handed her a handful of his spare coins, a small gesture of kindness.

"NO! Don't trust! Don't trust! Evil jester! No love, city on fire!" 

Luigi let out a relieved breath as he gently nudged the woman away, giving her some space. "And there we go," he whispered, grateful that she had released her grip. She nodded in acknowledgment, still lost in her own thoughts as she walked away, mumbling to herself.

"More hot pies!" customers begged, holding their wallets up as soon as the man in green walked back in. He nodded, then quickly got to work, taking and replacing empty trays with full ones.

Dimentio quickly rushed over, writing down their orders when he heard a harsh "Psst," coming from above him.

He looked up to see Count Bleck leaning out the window, looking down at him with wide eyes.

"Excuse me," Dimentio muttered, placing a hand on Luigi's shoulder and patting it as if silently telling him he'd be right back.

"Psst!" Bleck whispered again, catching Luigi's attention. Confused, Luigi furrowed his brow and quickly scanned his surroundings, unsure where the noise was coming from.

"See to the customers," Dimentio told Luigi, handing his notebook to the man in green and running up the metal stairs to Count Bleck. The man in green nodded, then quickly started writing down orders.

"Psst!"

"Yes, what do you need?" Dimentio asked as Count Bleck quickly waved him inside and shut the curtains. 

"It's six o'clock."

"Yes, I can tell time," Dimentio nodded.

Count Bleck rolled his eyes and started frantically pacing. 

"It was supposed to be here at five!"

"It'll be here," Dimentio breathed. "Don't worry, okay? As much as I'd love to sit here with you while you have another one of your mental breakdowns, I have to-"

"MORE HOT PIES!" the customers chanted from below, making both Count Bleck and Dimentio jump slightly.

Dimentio shook his head and told Bleck to be patient as he ran back down the metal steps and to his customers. Mario's body could only make so many pies. They were going to have to stock up on resources sooner rather than later. But for now, he needed to keep his customers happy if he wanted things to keep going well. 

Luigi was working hard taking orders, delivering food, he was doing everything he could to the best of his ability. It was surprising how much of a dedicated worker this boy was. Dimentio felt like he hit the jackpot with this guy. Luigi cast him a brief smile, which Dimentio responded to with a wave as he started going around and making sure all his customers were satisfied with their service. 

The conversations Dimentio had with his customers were mostly the same. People asked him why they never heard of him before, they wondered where he learned to bake such great pies, they wanted to know how long he was open and what days in the week he operated, blah blah blah.  

Some customers even asked Dimentio what his secret was to making such delicious pies. To this, he'd always shrug and say, "It's a family secret, all to do with herbs."

People smiled at him. People shook his hand. People complimented him on his work. People cheered for him. All these people wanted to meet him, wanted to talk to him! It was like he was finally being seen as someone with value and worth! For his entire life, he had been seen the same way most people see Bob-Ombs. Lesser. But not anymore! Now, he was finally someone!

He was just starting a conversation with a fine gentleman who traveled over from Flipside when he heard another harsh "Psst," come from above him.

"Excuse me," he smiled, bowing his head to the gentleman slightly.

"Psst!"

"Luigi, please see to the customers," Dimentio chuckled, walking away from the dining area and back toward Bleck's place.

"PSST!"

"What now, sir?" Dimentio breathed as he ran up the metal stairs. "Please be quick. My shop is packed!"

"But it's here!" Count Bleck whispered.

"Is it now?" Dimentio asked, turning and looking around the count. 

Surely enough, it had arrived.

The small wooden chair that once sat in the center of Count Bleck's room had been replaced with a large, throne-like chair fit for a king. Both men looked at it with wide eyes as Dimentio ran over to it and ran his hand over the smooth velvet lining. The count's room had been fixed up too. The lighting was changed and the place was decorated with dark drapes and paintings of streetlamps in the dark. It looked much more like a true fortune-teller's place, which was good because that was the brand they were having Count Bleck go for.

Count Bleck ran over to the chair and pulled a lever on the back. The seat then flattened out like a recliner. He swiveled it and pulled another lever, making the trap door open. He then tilted the chair up. It was designed so that if there was someone sitting inside, they could be slid right into the chute that led to Dimentio's basement. 

"It's perfect," Dimentio smiled, clapping and laughing.

"Now, for a plan," Count Bleck grinned.

"Plan," Dimentio echoed.

"I'm going to stomp on the floor three times," Count Bleck stated, stomping his foot onto the ground three times. "That's the signal to show that I'm sending a body down. When I stomp three times, you'll reply by knocking three times to signal that you're there and ready."

Dimentio nodded as the customers below continued yelling for more hot pies. He gave Count Bleck a quick thumbs up, then quickly ran back down the stairs to help Luigi serve them all. Once he got a second to breathe, he ran down to the bakehouse in the basement, where the large oven and meat grinder were waiting next to the chute attached to Bleck's place. Once he was inside, he heard three loud stomps come from above him. Dimentio replied by knocking on the chute three times. Bleck nodded, then sent a book down the chute as a test run. Surely enough, it popped out next to Dimentio. The jester grinned and knocked three more times to signal that it worked, which was met with three more stomps. 

He then turned around and ran back upstairs to where Luigi was selling pies. He pulled out a large "Sold Out" sign and told everyone that they were fresh out of meat, but to come back tomorrow for more fresh, tasty hot pies!

That's when a gentleman came up to Count Bleck's staircase and rang the bell three times.

"Hold up!" Dimentio said, slowly taking the "Sold Out" sign back.

Count Bleck opened his door and welcomed the gentleman in.

A grin spread across Dimentio's face. 

"Fresh supplies!" he chimed, running back down to the basement. "Luigi, keep taking orders!"

He ran down and knocked three times as Bleck sat the man down in his chair and started shining his staff. The man had barely enough time to open his mouth and introduce himself when Bleck used the tip of his gem to slit his throat. He quickly stomped three times, then sent the man down the chute.

Dimentio grinned when the body arrived, then used his magic to lift the body into the grinder. He ran it through three times. Three was the magic number, after all. One was not enough, two was better, but three was perfect. As the machine continued to grind up the body, he ran over to one of the tables he had set out and started rolling some dough out. Once that was ready, he started setting up the pies. After that, he pulled the large oven doors open. The inside glowed a deep, fiery red color. He could feel the heat emitted from them pushing against him as he carefully placed the pies inside and closed the doors. 

Black smoke rose from the top of the oven and out through the vents. It flowed up through the chimney, filling the sky with dark black clouds. Flopside was already dark, though, so hardly anyone noticed or cared. 

Once the pies were good and cooked, Dimentio set them out on trays and started running back up to his little pie shop. "More hot pies!" he grinned as he handed the trays to Luigi.

"More hot pies!" Luigi smiled, turning to the crowd of people gathered around them. 

Everyone cheered and raised their forks into the air, demanding more.