The kitchen hums with fluorescent light and old tension. Mickey and the others are already moving toward the study when Thomas Capozzi steps out of a side office, cutting the hall in half.
He squares his shoulders in that sharp black suit, one hand still near a folder tucked under his arm. His eyes flick over Vicky, Nikki, Vinny, Joey, then land on Mickey like he is trying to price him.
Thomas Capozzi
Going somewhere? The family does not run on feelings and surprise meetings.
Vicky stops first, jaw tight. Nikki shifts beside her. Vinny sets his feet like a wall, and Joey lingers with a wary, stubborn look.
Michael "Mickey" Capozzi
Thomas is not here by accident.
Thomas Capozzi
If you are walking into Don with a list of demands, then I want to know what it does to the numbers first.
The corridor goes still. Thomas does not sound angry exactly. He sounds offended that anyone might rearrange the machine without checking the ledger.
Joseph "Joey" Capozzi
Maybe the numbers should survive the conversation, Tommy.
Thomas’s gaze sharpens at that, but he does not move aside yet.
✓ Quest Accepted
Get past Thomas Capozzi
“Fuck you and your numbers, Tommy. You're pretty pathetic, having no life outside of the business. Why dont you do us all a favor and go take a fucking vacation.”
SUCCESS (Good Diplomacy, rolled +1)
Michael "Mickey" Capozzi
Fuck your numbers, Tommy. You do not get to block us and call it policy.
Thomas flinches, just once, like the words hit a bruise he does not want seen. The folder slips lower under his arm.
Thomas Capozzi
Vacation, is it? Fine. Then tell me who covers the gap when Don asks where the ledger went.
Vicky’s shoulders ease a fraction. Nikki looks from Thomas to Mickey, waiting to see who takes the next step.
Joseph "Joey" Capozzi
He is stalling because he knows we are right.
Thomas glances at Joey, then back at Mickey, jaw tight. He shifts one shoe aside, opening a narrow slice of the hall, but keeps the folder hugged close. The page edge tears on his thumb, and a sharp paper cut beads red.
Thomas Capozzi
Go on, then. Tell me you are all walking in together, and tell me who is speaking for this mess.
The hallway is open enough to pass, but only if someone answers him first.
“We're all getting a turn to speak. We're telling Dad what roles we want, not just in the organization but in the family aswell. It worked for Toni it'll work for us.”
SUCCESS (Good Diplomacy, rolled -1)
Michael "Mickey" Capozzi
We are all speaking. We are telling Don what roles we want, in the family and in the outfit. Toni made that work.
Thomas stares at Mickey for a beat, then the edge in his face loosens. The folder dips in his grip.
Thomas Capozzi
That is what you want? Not a split, not a mutiny, a real list of terms?
Vicky and Nikki exchange one quick look, then both angle toward the opening. Joey stops hovering and squares up beside Mickey, ready to be counted.
Thomas Capozzi
Fine. Then say it cleanly, and say it together.
Mickey gets the point across. Thomas eases back another half step, and the paper cut on his thumb smears a red mark across the folder’s edge.
The hallway still belongs to him for the moment, but the pressure changes, now he is waiting on their answer.
“We can say it together, Tom. Join us, tell dad everything you've been too afraid to.”
FAILURE (Good Diplomacy, rolled -2)
Michael "Mickey" Capozzi
We can say it together, Tom. Join us, tell Dad everything you have been holding back.
Thomas does not answer right away. His eyes flick to Vicky, Nikki, and Joey, then back to Mickey, like he is weighing how much of the hallway he can afford to lose.
Thomas Capozzi
Together is cleaner. Cleaner is safer. But safe for who?
He lifts the folder a little, not as a shield, more like a ledger he has not closed yet. The blood at the edge has dried into a dark smear.
Thomas Capozzi
If I walk in with you, then I walk in as the problem. If I stay here, I can still make this practical.
Thomas Capozzi
Vicky and Nikki get a say. Joey gets heard. And Mickey does not have to pretend he is leading.
That lands. Thomas is not refusing the door, he is trying to rename it. Under the same breath, he tips his chin toward the study gap, a small tell that the path is still open if Mickey takes it.
“I gently push Tommy out of our way so we can continue to dad's office”
SUCCESS (Legendary Strength, rolled +2)
Mickey puts a hand to Thomas’s chest and gives him a gentle shove. Thomas yields a step, then another, shoes scraping the hall runner as the narrow gap becomes a passable path.
Thomas Capozzi
Fine. Go on, then. But if this turns ugly, I want it clear who pushed.
Vicky and Nikki slide forward at Mickey’s side, their shoulders brushing the open space. Joey lingers half a beat behind, staring past Thomas toward the study door.
Thomas Capozzi
Hold up. Before you all march in there, what exactly is the split? Who is speaking for the group, and who is just along for the ride?
Michael "Mickey" Capozzi
No answer is needed. Mickey’s push has already bought the room, and Thomas is the one adjusting now, folder lowered, face tightened around the opening he made.
The hallway itself turns with them, the study doorway now squarely ahead, no longer blocked.
Quest Complete
Get past Thomas Capozzi
New Gift: Hard-Won Insight