Senjen sat up on the table, looking up at Ruknar. “I think, uh, we should do something a bit more ‘upbeat’ today. Of course, we’re not going to do much of anything sitting around here…

Standing back up to his feet, Senjen took a few idle steps towards the door as he thought, then turned back to face the others. I say we go to the contest, take a look, maybe get a feel for if it’s anything interesting. If not...we can walk around, go wherever the wind takes us. There will be [i]something[/i] to catch our eyes, I’m sure.”

[hr]

Senjen was not one to dwell too long on thought and planning, so it was probably no surprise when he wanted to head out and see where the day took them. And to be fair, saying there was “plenty” to do in downtown Setia would be quite the understatement. Korit as a whole was a planet of unrestricted commerce and leisure alike, and the city was no exception. The city was planned to make it quite easy for its many potential customers to find places to spend their money. While generally a rare statement to make about Korit, public transportation in its major cities was the envy of most modern cities in the known galaxy. Outside of areas like the slums, it was quite easy to navigate, and even the automated taxi service they used to get around was government-funded, and free to use. There were other, “official” reasons for the state to be so seemingly magnanimous, but there was little question to the fact it was an investment for greater revenue. 

The first time Senjen had seen the city, outside of a hospital, had been awe-inspiring for him. He had spent all his life on his homeworld, and while crowds were nothing new for Utaysi, the sheer diversity on display in any direction one looked. Most worlds in the galaxy were dominated by the species which settled them, with tourists, and especially alien immigrants, being the exception. Korit was something special, and for all its many flaws, that was still the part of it which Senjen loved the most. Older cities like Setia still had more Tekeri influence than anything else, but one could still see buildings with entirely different species’ architectural styles right next to one another. 

The group had landed on the uppermost layer, on a street near the center of the city close to Kwe-Lungo park. He had a guess that this might have been one one of both his and Rukner’s favorite places in the city. Unlike most of the lower layers, it received natural light, and it was the largest park in the city. It was tended to by the oldest horticultural society on the planet, and combined complementary flora from over a dozen planets. There was one winding path, somewhat out-of-the-way, that was set between two tall rows of trees that was intentionally filled with the most hostile [i]looking[/i] flora they could find, like vines appeared to have sharp thorns longer than a Tekeri’s claw. Most came from different worlds, but they all had two things in common. First, the hazards were only superficial. That vine’s “thorns” were actually flower buds that appeared to be hard and dangerous when not in bloom. Second was that, around the start of the wet season, they would all bloom at once into a vibrant display beautiful enough to draw visitors down even such a long and winding path. Senjen was pretty sure it was an art piece. 

Senjen still did not particularly want to attend the protest, but it was happening on the other side of the park from the contest. As they walked alongside the park, Senjen gave Rukner a pat on the back. “Where exactly is that contest? We can go there, or go for a bite to eat first if we have time...or just go for a picnic in the park.”