Trade Secret
By Jamil’s standards, the plan was simple:
Step One: arrange drinks and dishes of equal —if not higher— quality to those in the menu at Mostro Lounge.
Step Two: serve them at Scarabia’s banquets, free of charge.
Step Three: turn said banquets into tutoring sessions, making sure everyone lured by the food got some actual studying done.
If everything went as expected, this would keep Scarabia’s freshmen out of Octavinelle, and hopefully get the dorm’s grades back on track.
It is said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Though Jamil resents the implication that he’s fawning over Octavinelle by attempting to replicate their garish meals, he reminds himself that flattery also makes a most versatile tool for waging war. After all, it had been flattery that had gotten him this far.
When he’d first devised this plot of his, he’d expected having to jump through far more hoops and hurdles just to arrive at this point. While he was confident in his ability to reverse-engineer the dish recipes given enough time, it was the drinks he believed would prove a challenge.
Thankfully, turns out enlisting Ortho’s help had sufficed. To think a painless lie and a meek smile had been enough to get a full list of ingredients for one of Mostro Lounge’s signature drinks. . . Jamil truly couldn’t have hoped for a better outcome.
How convenient, he thinks to himself while making his way to the Mystery Shop. A silent snicker escapes him as he reviews his grocery list for the day; just a few more supplies and everything he needs to set his plan in motion will be in his grasp.
Now, Jamil is ready to employ flattery once again to get an additional ally on his side.
During his time at NRU, Jamil has learned that the Mystery Shop is, in many ways, a cave of wonders, with Sam being a trove of knowledge waiting to be found. Not only are the store’s assorted wares as fascinating as they are vast, but Sam, who engages in business with just about all of campus, makes for a strategic acquaintance to have.
If Jamil is to learn about how to further counter the Lounge’s enduring appeal, Sam is an excellent place to start.
« Please excuse me, » says Jamil as he steps into the shop, bowing his head slightly in greeting.
His dealings with Sam have been perfectly cordial in the past. Most items up for sale have a story to be told— stories Sam is more than happy to share to anyone willing to listen, and in exchange for that information, Jamil will let out stray thoughts and comments that might interest the clerk in turn.
That notwithstanding, for Jamil to take a candid approach in regards to his current plans would prove foolish. Sam is a businessman, first and foremost, and even though he may help Jamil now, it doesn’t bar the possibility he might leak his plans to someone else should they provide something of equal value later.
Bearing that in mind, Jamil must tread carefully even before a friendly face, lest his scheme be exposed.
Over the course of the last couple of days, Jamil had requested a number of students at Scarabia, all of whom had been on their way to the Mystery Shop, to purchase at least one of the different ingredients he would need in his stead. Avoiding buying all of them himself would keep his real intentions concealed, as well as complicate any efforts to decisively implicate him in the future.
If this ever came to pass, that is.
As he treads through the shop, Jamil spends a couple of minutes picking up his usual groceries, carefully choosing his words and deciding how best to navigate the conversation.
« Pardon me, Sam, » he says at last. « Would you happen to have any chocolate molds in stock? »
Who holds the cards? @foetuneteller
