The Capozzi basement hums under the mansion like a sealed-off afterthought, lit by one tired strip of fluorescents and a TV frozen on a paused menu. Toni comes down the stairs still carrying the sting of being tossed out of the meeting upstairs.
Joey is sunk into a recliner beside a half-empty takeout spread, Mickey is half-sprawled on the floor with a game controller, and Nikki leans against the bar cabinet, phone in hand, watching the door like she expected trouble.
Joseph "Joey" Capozzi
Well, look who survived family time.
Michael "Mickey" Capozzi
You get kicked out for fun, or did they finally notice you were there?
Nikki snorts a laugh, then angles her screen away as footsteps thud faintly overhead. Someone is still moving around upstairs.
Nichole "Nikki" Capozzi
If they come looking for drama, I’m pretending I’m asleep. Toni, you want the quiet corner or the rant corner?
Antonia "Toni" Capozzi
You ask for a place to sit and a break from upstairs.
Joey pats the arm of the recliner without getting up, Mickey nudges a controller aside, and Nikki tips her chin toward the back room. For one brief second, the basement feels like the only room in the house that is not judging her.
Nichole "Nikki" Capozzi
Pick fast. I just heard Dad on the stairs, and if he comes down angry, we all need a story.
✓ Quest Accepted
Keep a story ready for Dad
“If we really wanted to piss him off we could just tell him the truth and say we didn't show up because we're drunk, high and lazy.”
SUCCESS (Fair Diplomacy, rolled +1)
Antonia "Toni" Capozzi
If we wanted to really get under his skin, we could just tell him the truth. Say we skipped it because we were drunk, high, and lazy.
Joseph "Joey" Capozzi
Joey barks a laugh and points at Toni with greasy fingers. Now that is a lie with style.
Michael "Mickey" Capozzi
Mickey sits up straighter, grinning. Dad would hate that almost as much as the truth.
Nichole "Nikki" Capozzi
Nikki lowers her phone and studies Toni for a beat, then lets out a slow, approving breath. That is exactly the kind of stupid honesty I can work with.
The three of them trade looks, and the basement light seems a little less harsh for it. Upstairs, a heavier step crosses the floor, but nobody flinches yet.
Nichole "Nikki" Capozzi
Nikki tips her head toward the stairs, already building the excuse. If he comes down now, I’m saying Toni was here first and dragged us into a pity party.
Joseph "Joey" Capozzi
Joey smirks. I’ll back that up. Maybe with chips in my mouth so I sound convincing.
Quest Complete
Keep a story ready for Dad
“The basement is Mickey's room, why can't he take the blame?”
FAILURE (Fair Diplomacy, rolled -2)
Toni leans into the idea, casual as a shrug, but Mickey’s grin thins into something more thoughtful.
Antonia "Toni" Capozzi
It’s your room. Why not take the blame?
Michael "Mickey" Capozzi
Because Dad knows me too well.
Nichole "Nikki" Capozzi
He knows all of us too well. That’s why this has to sound messy, not clever.
Joseph "Joey" Capozzi
Messy I can do. Convincing? That’s Mickey’s department, apparently.
Michael "Mickey" Capozzi
He taps his knuckles against the floor, weighing it, then glances toward the stairs. If I’m the one who takes it, I need a version he’ll believe.
Nikki’s eyes flick to the stairwell, then back to Toni, and she gives a tiny nod like she has already solved half the lie.
Nichole "Nikki" Capozzi
Tell me exactly how guilty you want him to sound, and I can build the rest around that.
“I don't care how guikty he sounds, i just don't wanna take the blame for this, im the only one dad isn't afraid to hit.”
FAILURE (Fair Diplomacy, rolled -1)
Antonia "Toni" Capozzi
I don’t care how guilty he sounds, I just don’t want to take the blame for this. I’m the only one Dad isn’t afraid to hit.
Joseph "Joey" Capozzi
Joey’s smile vanishes. “Toni... then we make it impossible for him to point at you first.”
Michael "Mickey" Capozzi
“Yeah,” Mickey says, looking up now. “We give him a target that isn’t you, something he can chase with his mouth instead of his hands.”
Nichole "Nikki" Capozzi
Nikki’s fingers tighten around her phone. “That’s the opening. He always checks who benefits. So we make sure the answer is, nobody.”
Joseph "Joey" Capozzi
Joey glances toward the stairs, then back at Toni. Dad doesn’t hit first when he’s amused. He asks questions first.
Nichole "Nikki" Capozzi
“If Toni looks cornered, he pounces,” Nikki says. “If Toni looks embarrassed, he talks. We need embarrassed.”
Michael "Mickey" Capozzi
Mickey points once at the floor beside Toni. “Then stand there. Let us do the messy part.”
Nichole "Nikki" Capozzi
“And if he asks who started it,” Nikki adds, eyes sharp on Toni, “you don’t explain. You just let me answer.”
✓ Quest Accepted
Avoid taking the blame from Dad
“I step to the spot Mickey pointed at and try to look small and ashamed.”
SUCCESS (Good Willpower, rolled +3)
Toni steps into the spot Mickey points out, right where the basement light catches her face. She lets her shoulders fold in, chin dipping as if the weight of the upstairs argument finally lands on her.
Michael "Mickey" Capozzi
There. That look. Dad eats that up.
Nichole "Nikki" Capozzi
Good. Keep it. If he starts in on you, I’ll jump in first.
Joseph "Joey" Capozzi
He glances from Toni to the stairs, then back, his mouth tugging once in approval. She actually pulls it off.
Mickey shifts aside without taking his eyes off her, giving Toni the center of the little shield they build around her.
Nichole "Nikki" Capozzi
And if he asks who started it, I say Joey did it by accident. He always looks guilty anyway.
Joseph "Joey" Capozzi
Hey, that is slander. Effective slander, but still.
From the stairs above, the next footstep lands heavier than the last, and the three of them go still, waiting to see whether Dad comes down laughing or annoyed.
“I keep looking ashamed when Dad comes down”
SUCCESS (Fair Diplomacy, rolled +2)
Toni keeps her face folded into that same embarrassed, useless little shape as the basement light holds on her. The stairs creak again, and this time the sound is followed by a heavier presence at the landing.
Don Capozzi appears at the top of the stairs, one hand on the rail, looking down over the basement like he already knows there is a story waiting for him.
Donatello "Don" Capozzi
Well. Somebody wants to explain why this room looks like a support group.
Nichole "Nikki" Capozzi
Dad, Toni’s been embarrassed all night. We were trying to keep her from making a bigger scene upstairs.
Joseph "Joey" Capozzi
Yeah, and for once, it’s not my fault. Which I think deserves respect.
Michael "Mickey" Capozzi
She’s fine, Don. Just let her breathe for a second.
Don’s eyes move from Nikki to Joey to Mickey, then settle on Toni’s lowered posture. The accusation starts to miss its target before it forms.
Donatello "Don" Capozzi
Mm. Looks like somebody already handled it.
“I let Joey keep talking”
SUCCESS (Good Willpower, rolled +0)
Toni keeps her mouth shut and lets Joey take the wheel. She stays folded small by the stairs while Don watches the three of them, waiting for the lie to finish building itself.
Joseph "Joey" Capozzi
See, she needed a minute. We all did.
Nichole "Nikki" Capozzi
Exactly. Toni was going to say something stupid upstairs, so we got her down here before it could turn into a whole thing.
Michael "Mickey" Capozzi
And it worked. She’s calmer now.
Don’s gaze shifts back to Toni. He does not bite at the story, not yet, but the edge in his face eases by a fraction.
Donatello "Don" Capozzi
Mm. So this is your version of mercy.
The silence after that is thinner than before. Toni’s restraint pays off, but her jaw aches from holding it together, and Don waits for the next person to speak.
Quest Complete
Avoid taking the blame from Dad
Attribute Upgrade: Willpower Good→Great