The knock comes again, sharp and exact, then the bedroom door swings wider. Vicky fills the frame, eyes already flicking from Toni to the desk.
Victoria "Vicky" Capozzi
You’re sitting on a bomb and acting like it’s a nap. Tommy told you something, didn’t he?
Antonia "Toni" Capozzi
Toni stays quiet, the ledger still on the desk.
Vicky steps in, shutting the door behind her with her heel. She spots the book at once, her posture going rigid with recognition.
Victoria "Vicky" Capozzi
Good. Don’t touch it yet. Show me the pages he flagged, and I’ll tell you whether this is proof or bait.
She lowers her voice, not softer, just tighter. For all her edge, she is clearly here to help Toni sort the mess before the family turns it into a spectacle.
Victoria "Vicky" Capozzi
If somebody is planting your name in family books, I want the cleanest read on it before Don starts asking questions.
“Technically you're my little sister, aren't i supposed to be protecting you, not the other way around.”
SUCCESS (Fair Diplomacy, rolled +1)
Antonia "Toni" Capozzi
Technically, you’re my little sister, so I’m supposed to be protecting you, not the other way around.
Victoria "Vicky" Capozzi
Vicky’s mouth twitches, then she gives a short, tired laugh. "That’s the problem, Toni. Half this family treats protection like a weapon and the other half like a joke."
Victoria "Vicky" Capozzi
She glances toward the desk, then back to Toni. "I’m here because I know what happens when they decide you’re the easy target."
Vicky crosses the room and stops short of the desk, not touching the ledger, just looking at it like it might bite. Her shoulders ease a fraction, the hard edge in her stance giving way to something more private.
Victoria "Vicky" Capozzi
"You think I like being the one who notices things?" she says quietly. "I notice because nobody else in this house does, not when it costs them comfort."
For a beat, the room feels smaller, calmer. The open door stays still, the ledger stays on the desk, and Vicky keeps her voice low as if she is choosing Toni over the family’s noise.
Victoria "Vicky" Capozzi
"Show me the marked pages, Toni. If it’s bait, I’ll tell you. If it’s proof, I’ll tell you that too."
✓ Quest Accepted
Investigate the ledger with Vicky
“I walk over to the desk and open the ledger to the first marked page.”
SUCCESS (Good Investigation, rolled -1)
Toni steps to the desk, the ledger finally in her hands. She flips to the first marked page, and the tidy rows of numbers stop feeling ordinary.
Antonia "Toni" Capozzi
The marks line up too neatly to be random.
Victoria "Vicky" Capozzi
Well?
Vicky stays just behind Toni’s shoulder, watching the page instead of Toni’s face. Her expression tightens as she spots the entries Toni is seeing.
Victoria "Vicky" Capozzi
Those are names. Not just numbers.
A small crease forms between Vicky’s brows, and her hand lifts halfway before stopping, like she remembers not to touch the evidence.
Victoria "Vicky" Capozzi
If Don sees this first, he’ll call it a mistake. If he doesn’t, we might have time to prove it isn’t.
“I show Vicky the marked names”
SUCCESS (Good Reasoning, rolled +2)
Toni turns the ledger so Vicky can see the marked names, not just the numbers around them. The page stops looking neat the moment the names line up into a pattern.
Victoria "Vicky" Capozzi
That is not bookkeeping. That is a list with a purpose.
Victoria "Vicky" Capozzi
There. See it? These entries repeat in the same spots.
Vicky leans in closer, her finger stopping just short of the paper as she traces the spacing with her eyes. The color drains from her face, but her voice stays steady.
Victoria "Vicky" Capozzi
Someone is hiding names inside the ledger on purpose.
Antonia "Toni" Capozzi
The marks are too clean for a mistake.
Vicky finally lets out a thin breath and looks from the page to Toni, careful and serious.
Victoria "Vicky" Capozzi
Show me the rest of the marked pages. If there is a pattern, I want to catch it before it catches you.
Quest Complete
Investigate the ledger with Vicky
Skill Upgrade: Investigation Good→Great