"Ugh."
Serenity's views hadn't dropped, but they weren't where she wanted them to be. She had thought they'd spike upon her trip to Nauwill, and for a time they had, but now they had remained at her consistent, stable level. She didn't want that-- if she had, she would have stayed back in Alola, where she was already succeeding. No, she wanted more. More fame, more views, more money. Something tangible to prove she was going further and further, proof that yesterday's Serenity was different from today's. Her viewers had gotten used to her weekly uploads showing the development of Nauwill, and now she was left without much room to grow. If she wanted more, she had to give more, which meant...
An expedition, clearly. It was the one thing Serenity had held off on while settling into the new, barely charted land. She knew to pace herself, leave herself room and backup to pull new views if things grew too quiet. That, and truthfully, Serenity hadn't been ready to explore on her own. Nauwill was wild, untamed by the regularity of normal everyday life and lacking any norm that the other regions have developed. Anything could happen out there, and Serenity had needed time to prepare herself for it. She hadn't been afraid, no, but she wasn't going to risk herself and lose a limb in the process, either. The viewer count remaining in place had been a push forward, but the final nudge had been when she spotted a group forming. Good, she wouldn't be alone! Perfect!
"You two can't come," Serenity murmured under her breath as she recalled Aqua and Lapis and placed their balls onto her nightstand. Teeny squeaked from on top of her bed, uncoiling itself from a lounged, lazy Ua, who had draped an arm over the small poliwag. "Alright, up we go!" Serenity gestured to the two cuddled 'mons, reaching out to pat her disgruntled totodile.
It took a few minutes to corral the two, but obediently they went, Teeny held in her arms and Ua trailing after her with half-lidded, sleepy eyes. Serenity paused long enough to set her rotom phone up to stream a brief intro before waving a hand for it to trail after her and continue recording. She hadn't planned to be the first one there, nor was she, but she was surprised to realize she was the second one to arrive.
"Hey!" She greeted the brightly colored trainer, flashing her best smile. Her rotom phone swiveled around her and inserted itself above the two. "It's not live, but it'll be recording the adventure, if that's okay with you?" Serenity was fairly sure she had mentioned that prior to agreeing to the adventure, but just to be sure. "You're Umeki Hayate, right? Your hair is so cool!"
