Croup Manor
Three figures sat around a decaying table amidst the ruins of Croup Manor. The area had been cleared of feral ghouls days before, their bodies dumped into the ocean waters behind the building. The three were surprisingly well dressed, their clothing uncharacteristically clean when compared to the other inhabitants of the Commonwealth. They sat, absorbed by their own personal fascinations as they waited.
A tan, brown-haired man with hazel eyes and a full, scruffy beard, sat sipping a bottle of purified water, occasionally stopping to stare at the container and savor the liquid the way a connoisseur would appreciate wine. He wore a clean, white lab coat with the name "Zack" written in sky-blue cursive font, embroidered into the fabric so perfectly it could only have been the work of a machine. Across from him a pale, raven-haired woman with piercing blue eyes sat reading a tattered book amidst a pile of similarly time-worn literature. The title of the book had long since worn away but the surname of the author was still faintly visible, the words "Austen" printed with faded ink at the bottom of the cover. The rest of the books seemed to follow no rhyme or reason in terms of genre or author, with names like Einstein, Homer, Hemingway and Clarke appearing sporadically. The only thing they seemed to have in common was that they were all books. Dotting the pile of books were smaller holotapes, their only labels being a complex series of numbers, dashes and letters while, attached to the woman's right wrist, was a Pip-Boy, the holotape deck still slightly ajar. The Pip-Boy itself seemed slightly off to those used to the 3000 series. It was slightly smaller, sleeker and had no discernible knobs or dials save for one or two buttons while soft, classical music played from its speakers with surprising clarity.
Lastly, at the end of the table, sat a petite, dark-haried oriental woman. She wore an ankle-length, tight-fitting, crimson red, silk cheongsam dress, decorated with a golden pteris flower design. Traditionally it was viewed as either wedding or evening dress, but in times such as these there was little opportunity for such occasions. She wore a pair or ruby red high heeled shoes and her hair was tied back into a bun held in place by a pair of elaborate hairpins that appeared to be made of a mixture of pearl and jade. Her calm brown eyes stared through a hole in the wall of the manor, viewing the ocean and the ruins of the Commonwealth that stretched along the shoreline.
All three were young and surprisingly clean and healthy, each sitting in silence until "Zack" gently placed the water bottle down on the tables surface before looking towards the open doorway at the front of the house, peering out towards the copper statue and the lone figure stood vigilantly beneath.
"It's almost time to leave." He said in a calm yet deep voice, the first to speak in what seemed like hours. "I certainly hope the radio broadcast wasn't in vain." He paused, expecting a response before turning towards his silent companions. Glancing towards the raven-haired young woman, Zack knew from experience that there would be no distracting her from her books until either the end of the chapter or book gave her reason to pause. Instead he turned to the young oriental woman.
"Shin-mu?" He asked politely, watching as she turned her head slowly to face him. He smiled, knowing he could always count on her to give him her full attention whenever he needed it. "Are we ready to depart?"
Shin-mu nodded gracefully and smiled, her every movement fluid and composed giving those who spoke with her the feeling they were addressing royalty.
"Yes." She replied, her voice soft and melodic with a noticeable Chinese accent decorating her every word, "I called ahead just recently and everything is in order. Our arrival is expected shortly."
Zack smiled, "Good. If all else fails then I suppose we can travel the coastline looking for volunteers."
"She won't be happy with that." The raven-haried woman chimed in, not looking up from the pages of her book, "She knows how pressed we are for time, we don't have the luxury of spending weeks trawling the coast in the hopes that we'll encounter some well-to-do burgeoning Chosen One or Lone Wanderer. If recent history has proven anything, we can't rely on every Vault Dweller to grace us with their presence to have the noblest intentions at heart."
Zack frowned slightly in what appeared to be a hint of sadness as he looked back out towards the statue and the lone figure beneath it, the light reflecting off of bright red hair as it caught in the wind before settling back down, reaching past the figures shoulders and resting against the various pieces of combat armor that she wore. She held a long-barrelled rifle of some description a continued to peer down the only road leading towards the manor. The broadcast had been clear in its instructions, pointing towards the building as the meeting point. Of course raiders and super mutants alike had taken a keen interest in the message as well, but none had made it far enough up the road to be a problem.
"Yes, well..." Zack replied, somberly. "Not everyone can be the heroes people whisper of or claim to have met." He answered as Shin-mu turned to once more regard the ocean view while his other companion lowered her book, raising an eye incredulously as he uttered the final words of the sentence.
He waved a dismissive hand, "Yes, yes, I know." He said before pausing a moment, looking at the bottle of water once more before dipping to pull a flat, circular and metallic object from under his chair. "Anyway, my dear Sky, enough of this dreariness," he began, quickly changing topics and opening the device to reveal a surprisingly compact circular screen and keyboard. "How about you take a break from your literary pursuits and join me for a game of chess?"
Diamond City Radio Broadcast
"And, uhhh, up next we have a message going out from Diamond City Radio listener, Sky." The voice crackled over the airwaves, she would like all Commonwealth listeners to know that, ummm, a small group is gathering? At Croup Manor? She wants listeners to know that they are planning to stop the Brotherhood from returning to the Commonwealth and is calling for support." The voice paused for what seemed for several seconds too long.
"Sky wants listeners to know that they are accepting aid from groups like, uhhh, the Minutemen, Ghouls, the Railroad, Synths, Institute survivors and even those Brotherhood members left behind. She says all are welcome because... Uhhh... All are threatened?" The voice paused again, not as long this time. "She asks that people gather at Croup Manor before noon in two weeks time and that the approach alone and must be carrying a lantern either lit or unlit. Apparently ambushes will be dealt with harshly?"
The voice stopped for a moment, "Well it, uhhh, sounds like and intersting idea, I'm just not sure about inviting Ghouls, Synths and the Institute. I think all listeners can agree tha-" The voice was cut off as another radio was switched off and another volunteer began to ready their belongings.
