Let her talk to ya'!

Serenity, some point in time before the beginning of the season…

“I got it… I actually got it~!”

Just a few steps outside of the Arbitrator’s office, Serenity was trying her absolute hardest not to burst out into some sort of excessive show of joy. Song, dance, grabbing that assistant who guided her out of the office and just taking her right then and there - you know, the usual fare for somebody who just got the promotion of a lifetime. She had of course been as professional as allowed while making her pitch to him. Anything else, and it would have all fallen apart. That didn’t just extend to her pitch, either. It meant she had to dress appropriately. No excessive showings of cleavage, no showing her legs beyond what her tyrian sheath dress already showed. No need for any additional work to be put into her already presentable, respectable chestnut brown hair that cascades down past her shoulders. And for absolutely sure, NO gaudy jewelry that’d make her look less like a consummate professional and more like an average club-goer on a Saturday night. Just the same sweet, yet all too cunning smile she wore as an extra, and the same business mindset that had pushed her to make the request to host her own season of Harem Hotel, regardless of how much that Arbitrator sought to push her proposal past its limits.

All of that, plus the work she’d put in, and it’s all paid off. As the doors to the Arbitrator’s office close behind her, Serenity’s pale pink lips naturally curl upwards, spreading out slightly to reveal not the cunning look of a tried and true businesswoman, but the giddiness of a young girl that just scored her dream job. Before she can celebrate too much, however, Serenity is reminded of the other person in the hallway. The petite, positively adorable little assistant that had stood by and watched as she delivered her pitch to the Arbitrator, remaining just as silent as is expected of her.

Turning her gaze towards the assistant, Serenity’s not-quite-blue, not-quite-green eyes bore into the assistant, who takes her cue to speak without missing a beat.

“Congratulations on the successful pitch. I’m sure that the producers are all brimming with anticipation for what the final product turns out to be.” The Arbitrator’s assistant chimes in, having to look up at Serenity - a feeling she’s long since gotten used to, given her physique. Right now, though, she couldn’t care less about her physique, or anything besides the fact she actually got the approval she was hoping for.

“Oh, no need to congratulate me.” Serenity waves her off, playing humble for the moment being, in case of there being someone listening in on this conversation. “I’m just glad to be able to finally step up to the plate, you know? No more background work for this girl!” Serenity laughs, using it to hide whatever frayed nerves might try to spring up within her. “About time, too. How long does it take for that guy to make a damn decision?! I swear, it felt like I was here for an eternity and a half…”

Once the laughter ends, Serenity finds herself and the assistant at the front door. The assistant, ever so diligent, opens the door for her, and the two share one final look between each other.

“Well, regardless - on behalf of the Arbitration offices, I wish you the best of luck. With how passionate you were about your pitch, I am certain your season will be a smashing success. Now then, have a good rest of your day, miss.” The assistant gives a slight bow towards Serenity, and the prospective host walks out the front door, the sound of it swinging shut behind her shaking her out of her professionalism.

Taking a deep breath, Serenity stands still, soaking in the past couple of hours - or was it days? Weeks? It didn’t matter to her. Not anymore. Once she’s finished soaking it all in, Serenity almost jumps out of her high heels, only keeping herself grounded for the sake of not literally breaking a leg, like so many of her co-workers metaphorically wished upon her prior to her pitch. Thinking about those co-workers, however, leads Serenity to pull out her phone, and begin thumbing through her messages. Sending out the good news to those she deems worthy of hearing about it, she giggles and laughs with each message she sends out, not even having to worry about any responses being given to her success.

Once finished with showing off to her contacts, Serenity closes out of her messages, and spikes her phone on the ground beneath her. The screen cracks and splinters upon impact, but Serenity just keeps on laughing. “After all, it’s not like I’m going to need their opinions on this. In fact, I don’t need ANYONE’S opinion on this! I got the season! MY season! No co-hosts, no mentors breathing down my neck, nobody else! It’s all mine!” It is that exact thought, however, that gives her pause. Putting her internal celebration to rest, Serenity refocuses herself. Taking a calming breath, Serenity starts pacing - a nasty habit, but one she managed to keep herself from doing whilst waiting outside of the Arbitrator’s office, if only out of concern that doing so would make her seem impatient - or, even worse, anxious.

“Alright, Serenity, you’ve gotten the gig. Now what?” Talking to herself as she paces, Serenity’s mind races. She remembers exactly what her pitch was based around. A crossover combination. One that had never been attempted, let alone done, in the history of Harem Hotel. A combination of the single greatest reality show of all time… And one of the most profitable forms of entertainment not called the film industry: Professional wrestling.

“Well…now, it’d be good to actually get a basis for what professional wrestling really is, right?” Of course, Serenity knows what pro wrestling is… But she doesn’t know what pro wrestling really is. Is it a soap opera? A form of theater? Some type of hand-to-hand combat sport? She has no clue! What she does know is that it’s crazy profitable, draws in massive swaths of fans, and has tons of hot guys and girls fake-fighting each other for what are ostensibly just bragging rights given a physical form. One that's normally golden, and bound by leather.

“Okay, Serenity, you’re a smart girl. You’ve managed to keep your wits about you working as an extra all this time, so how hard can it really be to serve as a host? You’ve worked for plenty of hosts, and none of them ever stripped you of your sentience. That must mean you’ve been doing something right, right?” Serenity pauses, her whole body shuddering. The reminder of what happened to some of the more unruly extras that were part of the same seasons she’s worked on… “...Right. You’ve done that much right. So how difficult can it be to transition into becoming a host? You get a lot more power, in more ways than one. All you have to do is keep the fans happy, and make sure that the Master and his harem stick to the plan. It shouldn’t be that hard!”

Resuming her pacing, the clacking of Serenity’s high heels serve as a metronome to her thoughts, keeping her right on track, just as she’s always meant to be. No time for errant distractions, no time for worrying about unnecessary details. Just her, her steel trap mind, and a season all to her own. One that’s meant to serve a whole new demographic, which she’s completely responsible for…

“No!” Serenity lightly slaps both sides of her face a couple of times, drawing her out of any errant thoughts of doubt or negativity. “No, no thinking like that, Serenity. You’ve got this. You’ve got this!” Serenity’s smile returns, as does her pacing. “So what if you have to appeal to fans of both Harem Hotel and pro wrestling? You’ve seen how other seasons keep the regular fans happy! All you have to do is do exactly what they do, do it better than how they do it, and then do all of that while also appealing to fans of pro wrestling in the process! Easy peasy!”

“How difficult can it be to keep wrestling fans happy, anyways?”