Mickey's basement apartment sits under a sagging brick walk-up, lit by one naked bulb and the blue flicker of a muted TV. The air reeks of stale smoke, spilled beer, and hot dust.
Joey steps in on broken glass and sees the room torn apart, records split, a busted router, and a cheap stereo crushed under a chair.
Victoria 'Vicky' Capozzi stands over the wreckage like a judge in a leather blazer, one hand planted on her hip, the other pointing at Mickey.
Victoria "Vicky" Capozzi
Give me the keys to the distribution hub. Now.
Mickey is jammed into the far corner beside a stained mattress, shoulders tight, a fresh cut on his knuckles and a cabinet door hanging open behind him.
Michael "Mickey" Capozzi
I don't have them. I told you, I don't have them.
Vicky takes one step closer, hard-eyed, while a phone on the floor buzzes against a puddle of spilled soda.
Victoria "Vicky" Capozzi
Then start remembering before I decide sloth is a family problem, not a personality trait.
Joey is in the doorway, with Vicky on one side, Mickey on the other, and the buzzing phone twitching at his feet like an alarm waiting to be answered.
✓ Quest Accepted
Protect Mickey's autonomy
“Hey uh, Vicky . . . Not to interrupt or anything but . . . Mickey's trlling the truth. It's Nikki that has the keys, not him, you're interrogating the wrong triplet. Honestly you really think dad would trust him to be incharge of this?”
FAILURE (Fair Streetwise, rolled -1)
Joseph "Joey" Capozzi
Hey, Vicky, not to interrupt, but Mickey's telling the truth. It's Nikki who has the keys, not him. You're interrogating the wrong triplet.
Joseph "Joey" Capozzi
Honestly, do you really think Dad would trust him to run this?
Victoria "Vicky" Capozzi
She turns her head slow, eyes narrowing. Nice try, Joey. You think I did not already ask Nikki?
Mickey straightens a little in the corner, but he does not rush in. Vicky flicks her gaze back to him, then to the phone buzzing in the spilled soda.
Victoria "Vicky" Capozzi
If he has not got the keys, then he knows where they went. That is close enough for me.
Her hand drops from accusation to control, and the room tightens around Mickey again. The buzzing phone keeps rattling on the floor, waiting for somebody to answer it.
“You seem to be forgetting that Mickey and I contribute nothing to the organization. We're peices of garbage that are only kept around because we're the family's pieces of garbage. Maybe Toni has the keys, you know how she's always screwing up.”
SUCCESS (Superb Willpower, rolled +0)
Joseph "Joey" Capozzi
You keep forgetting Mickey and I are basically dead weight to this outfit. If anybody grabbed the keys, it’s probably Toni. She’s always screwing up.
Mickey blinks at Joey, then lets out a short, humorless breath. The corner of his mouth twitches like he wants to laugh and cannot afford it.
Victoria "Vicky" Capozzi
Toni? Of course you would throw her under the bus the second things get messy.
Vicky’s posture shifts, less like a question now and more like a calculation. She turns her chin toward the hall, weighing the name against the room.
Michael "Mickey" Capozzi
For once, Joey’s got a point. Toni likes to play important.
Mickey straightens from the wall another inch, shoulders set, eyes on Vicky instead of the floor.
Victoria "Vicky" Capozzi
Then she can say it to my face. Where is she?
“She's at Dad's house, in her room. Just go easy on her though, she is still your older sister after all.”
SUCCESS (Superb Willpower, rolled -1)
Joseph "Joey" Capozzi
She’s at Dad’s house, in her room. Go easy on her, though, she’s still your older sister.
The words land in the cramped basement like a hand on Vicky’s shoulder. She hesitates, then looks away from Mickey and lets the lead sit with her instead of snapping it shut.
Victoria "Vicky" Capozzi
Toni in her room at Don’s place, of course. You always do know where to hide people.
Her jaw tightens, but the pressure eases off Mickey. She shifts her weight back a step, still poised, now measuring family instead of a cornered brother.
Michael "Mickey" Capozzi
He’s not hiding her, Vicky. He’s trying to keep you from wrecking the place.
Mickey’s voice holds steady. He plants himself a little more squarely between Vicky and the back room, claiming the apartment without raising it.
Victoria "Vicky" Capozzi
Fine. I’ll go see Toni. But if she’s lying, Joey, that excuse costs you.
“Just because you're bigger and stronger than me don't mean I'm scared of you, Vicky. Im your big brither, i got more hierarchy.”
SUCCESS (Superb Willpower, rolled -1)
Joseph "Joey" Capozzi
Just because you’re bigger and stronger than me doesn’t mean I’m scared of you, Vicky. I’m your big brother, I’ve got more hierarchy.
Joey lets the line settle in the damp basement air. His phone buzzes once in the spilled soda, and he doesn’t flinch.
Victoria "Vicky" Capozzi
You really want to pull rank now? Fine. Then act like it.
Vicky’s chin lifts, but she checks herself. The hard edge in her posture eases a notch, not enough to call it trust, just enough to call it listening.
Michael "Mickey" Capozzi
He’s right, Vicky. This is my place, and I’m done letting you rummage through it like I’m furniture.
Mickey straightens from the mattress and gestures toward the busted router, the crushed stereo, the mess of the room. His voice is tired, but it carries.
Victoria "Vicky" Capozzi
...Okay. Then talk. Both of you. Start with where Toni fits in, and don’t waste my time.
Quest Complete
Protect Mickey's autonomy
Attribute Upgrade: Willpower Superb→Legendary