The dining hall glows under warm chandeliers, all polished wood and silverware, with the whole Capozzi family already seated and watching the door. Rain taps hard against the bistro window behind the nearby private booth, a thin steady reminder of the world outside.
Thomas "Tommy" Capozzi enters with Erika at his side, and every face at the table turns toward them. Donatello sits at the head, still as a judge, while Vincenzo, Joseph, Antonia, Michael, Victoria, and Nichole all measure the moment in their own ways.
Donatello "Don" Capozzi
Sit. Let’s see what this dinner is really about.
Victoria "Vicky" Capozzi
So this is the girlfriend. Interesting.
Erika
I can do honesty. I just won’t do pretending.
A few siblings shift in their seats. Tommy’s legitimate life and his family’s criminal gravity finally meet at the same table, with no room left to hide behind separate worlds.
Nichole "Nikki" Capozzi
Then somebody better start telling the truth.
✓ Quest Accepted
Temper the family’s first judgment of Erika
“Pull out a chair for Erika and keep my hand firmly on her back to show support.”
SUCCESS (Great Willpower, rolled +0)
Tommy slides Erika’s chair out with one clean pull, the legs whispering over the floor. His hand stays steady at the middle of her back as she sits, a small anchor under the table room's stare.
Erika
Thanks. I am not backing down.
The chair settles. Around them, the table loosens by a fraction, the first sharp appraisal giving way to watching.
Vicky
That is better. Less flinching, more spine.
Nikki
Start with the truth, then. What exactly are you to him?
Donatello "Don" Capozzi
Careful. He brought her here to be known, not dissected.
Rain keeps ticking against the glass while Erika keeps her eyes level, and nobody at the table laughs.
Quest Complete
Temper the family’s first judgment of Erika