The story goes, "a Vault Dweller, a Minuteman, and a Synth walk into a bar."
Which bar? How did they get there? And why this particular mix of individuals? There were always questions about this trio. Anyone who had ever seen a Courser knew immediately that the dark-skinned one with them was a Synth, but... he didn't have a weapon out, didn't even seem all that threatening. And most folk had learned to trust the Minutemen once more, but why was this one so dang jumpy? And who had ever heard of a 'Vault 727'? Where was that? Did the Vault numbers really go that high?
Not in 'beautiful this area', according to that self-same Vault Dweller.
As to the other questions... Which bar? Well there's a renovated neighborhood near the CIT ruins, one which holds a large theater - larger now that they've had the chance to bash out some walls and do major improvements to the interior! The bar is in the large lobby of the Brattle Theater, and the bartender, Dane, doesn't ask those questions. But he does listen for the answers.
They told wild stories to each other, while sipping Sunset Sarsparilla - not a typical drink for this area either truth be told. That the Vault dweller was not only from the west coast, she was essentially displaced in time? What the heck was a 'zee-tan'? Well they had a space ship, and it had flown over not too long ago.
The girl did not have her head in the clouds, contrary to what a lot of locals believed any given Vault dweller might be like. Well grounded, but with high expectations, as well as high hopes. Meredith shoved a pile of caps at the bartender, and he kept the ice-cold drinks coming.
The Minuteman, Tucker by name, looked far too young to have so much worry on his face. But then this was the Commonwealth, it was dangerous everywhere outside. He shared a story about that one time he snuck behind a Brotherhood paladin in full power armor and snuck that armor's power core right out of its socket. Now, fairly, he also claimed that was in his 'youthful raider phase'.
The Courser didn't say much, at first. He watched with almost-sad eyes, other patrons of the nightclub. He was the one who noticed that there were entries to the theater beyond the bar, and also was the one who nudged the other two into investigating back there. He'd never seen a theater before, this one had a stage and several floors above it, with different things potentially going on. Right at the moment it was quiet, but there would be a show in the evening. Clay - no one knew what he called himself except his two companions - wanted to listen to the live music.
They'd only really had Diamond City's radio station around the Castle, Tucker claimed, they didn't usually have it tuned to that classical one. And only Meredith had had the upbringing that allowed for real orchestral music from an actual live orchestra back at her Vault. But it was rarer still for any Synth at all to be allowed to listen to the radio down in the tunnels, harder still for a signal to reach them there in the first place. He claimed to remember melodies from when he was someone else.
Clay seemed truly entranced by the stage show, even if it wasn't as polished as those found in Vault 727 according to Meredith. Tucker was seemingly more interested in how the stage was prepared, how all the costume changes or lighting were arranged. After the show, each of them enjoyed speaking to the various cast and crew, it wasn't a rarity that they would be so gregarious here, it was more rare that anyone actually attended their shows beyond other people living in the interior colony.
They hosted the trio for a few days, getting aid in the form of Meredith helping refine some of their medical systems in the small clinic there. Clay actually working on fixing some of those loose bricks and wobbly doors in the under-stage area, and keeping the leaks to a minimum in the restrooms. Tucker began to realize that he too had a duty to perform here, with the Minutemen - he contacted one of their local leaders found nearby in Fraternal Post 115. Renovations of this part of town had been spotty, but that specific location was quite central even if small, and could house all of their records and information if not a lot of ammunition or residents. This theater also served as a pretty impressive shelter having two dozen people living here full time! Offering the protection of the Minutemen outside its doors would mean they could have a better flow of travelers.
It was when one of those travelers, less than a week into the group's stay at the Brattle, had something rather unique in mind to show off, that people remembered why Meredith's bizarre tales of life out west or flying in a stolen alien spaceship didn't seem so completely unhinged.
Because everyone there could see, smell, hear, and touch the actual dragon that that traveler brought with her. He wasn't very big, a fact which at least one or two of the Bratts (they called themselves a variety of terms, but that one stuck) commented upon. However, it wasn't the dragon alone that made anyone look on in wonder. It was that the rider, Trinity, specifically singled out Meredith, Clay, and Tucker.
"Been looking for you," she explained, "if you three want to come look around, there's another Vault and, well," she scritched the nuzzling blue face of her dragon that was butting up next to her, "maybe dragons. Maybe."
Of course that also set off a lot of the Bratts - could they too? Where was this other vault with dragons in it? How did they fit? Were they big or small?
Trinity did her best to answer questions, but she also admitted that she was still reasonably new to the whole dragon thing herself. Maybe she'd come for others, or even have dragons bring things here, after all it wasn't just the Minutemen protecting the Commonwealth up there. Parts of it were protected by dragon riding folk.