Intermission - Serenity's "Research" continues

“Finally~!”

Serenity cannot help but let out a small cheer as she manages to teleport herself out of the ring, and back into her room. Rather than the opulent display of wealth and power one would expect from a woman in her position however, Serenity’s dwellings appear to be… Shockingly humble. While still roughly the size of a single-floor apartment, most of the rooms connect to each other without the need for any doorways, with only a scant few exceptions.

However, rather than pay any sort of attention to those rooms, Serenity instead makes a beeline for the couch. Her form-fitting dress falls away in an instant, the garment swiftly being replaced by much more comfortable loungewear that fits her like a glove. At the same time, the jewelry that adorns her ears and wrists vanish, leaving only the amethyst pendant behind. To complete her change, Serenity physically removes the pendant from around her neck before placing it down on the side table.

“Uggggghhh, finally~!” Serenity reiterates, vocally this time. “It’s barely been a full day and I’m already EXHAUSTED!" The host complains. "How in the Producer's name do the others put up with this for an entire season?!”

The host slouches onto the couch, her body draping itself across the upholstery. She lets out a groan, irritation finally shining through. The pendant’s gleam dies down into an aching dullness as Serenity lets out a sigh, eyes turned towards the ceiling.

“I mean, it’s not like I did a bad job, right? I did exactly what a host is supposed to do. I kept the transformations fair... For the most part.” Serenity pauses, mind briefly flickering to some of the options - some of which won, some of which didn't - before she shrugs them off like the meaningless complaints that they are. “I got through all of the really important rules, I provided a decent enough hook with Robert turning into Renee. I even flexed some of my authority without being completely malicious about it.”

Serenity’s eyes close as she reflects on her own actions as host. Showing Penelope the results of those who were eliminated, punishing Linda for trying to attack her, and the transformations themselves being the most prominent memories in her mind. Yet above all of that, one scene in particular lingers in her mind.

“I mean, should I have tried to be a bit nicer when it came time to send them to their rooms?” Serenity questions herself, pausing for a brief second to ponder. “...Maybe?" Serenity gives a halfhearted shrug with one shoulder, while the opposite hand turns palm-up in equal exchange. "But, at the same time, it’s not like I did anything wrong. And besides, nobody cares about some dumb tour of the hotel, right?" Serenity nods to herself. "Right. I just saved both the contestants and the viewers some valuable time, and I’ll save even more of it by not doing that welcome dinner, too.” Serenity's eyes flicker to the clock. "Besides, catering's open for anybody who doesn't feel like cooking for themselves. Although I'm sure some of them will have fun putting the kitchen in their respective rooms to good use."

As Serenity continues to prattle on, she nods once more. “Yeah… Yeah, I’m doing a good job. In fact, I’m doing a great job! Better than any of the other hosts out there!” Serenity puffs out her chest, a swell of pride coursing through her. “And you know what? I think I know how I can do an even better job.” Serenity sits up. “After all, it is about time I continue with my research…”

As Serenity goes to get up however, her eyes fall onto the table she placed her pendant on, as she only now notices the basket that sits next to it. Pausing mid-motion, Serenity glances at the clock, then back at the basket.

“...Did I mess up the gift baskets?” Serenity asks out loud to herself, her confusion soon turning into an annoyed groan. “Oh, please don’t tell me I sent one to every single room in the hotel…” The host bemoans, only for her eyes to catch a glimpse of what actually lays inside of the basket itself.

Taking hold of the basket, Serenity eyes its contents warily, only to find them different from what she packed for each pair of contestants. Instead of the overfilled matching assortments of items she had sent to each of the four rooms, this basket only contains two objects of note. Keyword being ‘of note’, as both items lay on a fresh bed of roses, forming a rather colorful variety to contrast with the darkened glass bottle, and the decorative note gently laid against it.

“...Huh?” Serenity’s expression furrows, annoyance transforming back into confusion at a 1:2 ratio. “What is this?”

Taking hold of the card first, Serenity reads it aloud.

“Congratulations on your big opening. Quite an auspicious start. I wish you well - Shar.”

Serenity pauses, silently rereading the card once, twice, three times before she sets it back down.

“Shar?” Serenity asks aloud, the name not ringing any bells for a couple seconds, until finally it sinks in. “...Huh.” Serenity smirks, only for her grin to grow a touch wider as she pulls out the glass bottle, finding to be filled with a fine Irish mead - one that Serenity hadn’t even heard of until now.

Serenity examines the bottle in her hands, setting the basket back down onto the table along with the card. After a few seconds of glancing at the liquid, watching it swirl with each turn of the bottle, Serenity’s eyes drift off towards the closed doors down the hall, and the host lets out a small giggle.

“Well, I guess that answers that, then." Serenity giggles to herself once more, allowing pride to course through her veins. "At least someone out there thinks I’m doing a good job. Good enough to be given a reward, even.” Serenity eyes the bottle once more, before her gaze drifts off back to the hallway, one of the closed doors out of the trio of them beckoning for her to enter into its domain. “And who am I to let something this nice go to waste? After all, I’m sure my research will be all the more enlightening with a bottle like this at my disposal~.”

Upon concluding her justified reasoning, Serenity saunters off. Heading through the hall, she opens up the leftmost door, revealing a darkened room more akin to a college dropout's basement apartment than an all-powerful, magic-wielding host's lair. With curtains drawn and the faint glow of a rather large screen - or rather multiple large screens, the slight burst of light reveals the walls to be packed to the brim with shelf space. Out of those that are able to be seen, each shelf contains a different form of media or another sort of collectible. VHS tapes, DVDs, CDs, action figures, and all sorts of other wrestling memorabilia pack the space tightly. As Serenity closes the door behind her, her giggling can be heard as a sign literally appears straight out of thin air, a lone warning now hanging from the door.

“Do Not Disturb - Research In Progress”