The Future of Sulani | 1

Noelani 'Aukai, Nani Kealoha, and Malia Kahananui have been best friends for as long as they can remember. When they were kids, they made a pact that as soon as they were old enough, they would all pitch in to find a place where they could live together, support one another in their passions and pursuits, and, most importantly, have a hell of a good time doing it. Finally, the day has arrived: they've officially moved into a home they've purchased with their own pooled funds, an adorable bright blue beach house ideally situated on the shores of Ohan'ali. While they're still in Sulani, with their families only an island away, they're all on their own for the first time ever. Adulthood, here they come!

Admittedly, the only reason they've been able to make their ultimate childhood dream come true so quickly is because Malia came into a significant windfall in the form of a hefty inheritance when her grandparents, Mele and Alika, passed of old age. As the saying goes, with death comes birth - or, in this case, a significantly smoother transition into the next and most important stage of their young lives. Since Malia paid for most of the house, Noelani and Nani let her have free reign over the interior decoration, which ends up becoming a beachy, bohemian mishmash of furniture lugged over from her grandparents' old house and antique shop finds. Since everything's a little worn-in, it already feels like home.

Malia Kahananui, eternal optimist, social butterfly, with an open heart and kind smile for anyone who passes her way. Although abandoned on the island by a troubled mother who could never stay in one place for too long (and who she's since sadly lost touch with), she was lucky enough to be taken in as a toddler by the most loving and supportive grandparents anyone could ask for. Even though they lived long, happy lives and their deaths were hardly unexpected, she still misses them more than she lets on. Thankfully, she's got so much going on in her life right now, not to mention the constant camaraderie of two best friends, that she doesn't have much opportunity to dwell on the two grandparent-shaped holes in her heart.

Lately, Malia has been trying to get in touch with her spiritual side. Before, when her grandmother would try to teach her about the power of meditation, she was always too restless and impatient to listen. But now she finds herself drawn to the practice. It's half relaxation, half remembrance, and she hopes to one day become enlightened enough to pass her wisdom on to others. Of course, that day is just a distant pinprick on the horizon for now.

She's also loved making art ever since her fingers were strong enough to hold a crayon. Painting, too, has become an almost spiritual practice for her, the canvas a place where she can explore all of her deepest feelings without any fear of judgment. She becomes so attached to her paintings that she can't imagine parting with a single one, no matter how high the offer. She could never attach a price to something that feels like a reflection of her own soul.

For now, she's earning a little extra money by offering her babysitting services to the families of Sulani. She's a natural with kids and enjoys being around them, so it hardly even feels like a real job. One day, she hopes to have children of her own, so she'll take all the practice she can get.

Somehow, she doesn't even mind when the kids get a little too rowdy and start soaking her with water. She just splashes them right back and lets them swim around until their heart's content, until their fingers are pruned and their bodies shiver with cold. Of course, they love her for it, since their parents would never in a million years allow them to stay in for so long.

In her pursuit of all things wellness-related, most mornings, she manages to rope Noelani and Nani into being "students" for her daily yoga "classes." If she gets good enough at it, she might be able to snag a job as an instructor at the nearby spa and fitness center.

Of course, Nani and Noelani spend most of that time giggling at each other's wobbles and falls and muttering complaints under their breath. That is, when they're not so busy making googly eyes at one another that they stop paying attention to following the moves altogether.

Malia always has to gently redirect their minds back to the lesson at hand. "Guys, you know this is important to me. You could at least pretend to care about it for more than five minutes."

"Sorry, Mal," Noelani replies, shakily transitioning into tree pose. "It's just that for something that's supposed to be so relaxing, this sure seems like an awful lot of work."

"You just have to surrender yourself to the silence. Listen carefully to your breathing until you've blocked out all distractions. Inhale... Exhale... Again... Again... Now, feel yourself slowly... drifting... away." Soon, a noise that sounds suspiciously like snoring reaches Nani and Noelani, and it seems to be coming from the general direction of Malia's mat.

"Can we get up now?" Nani asks tentatively. "She's totally asleep, right?"

Noelani sighs heavily. "I guess we just haven't achieved enough zen to be on her level. Maybe next time."

Personally, Noelani and Nani prefer a good old-fashioned morning jog to get their daily workout. Their philosophy is that if they have no choice but to exercise to stay fit, they'd at least like to be aware that they're exercising instead of pretending they're attaining some higher form of spiritual being through it.

Even though they take divergent paths every time, they always end up meeting back at home simultaneously, like their interior clocks are perfectly aligned.

"Fancy meeting you here," Noelani says coyly, assuming a flirtatious pose. "Can I interest you in a workout-ruining breakfast prepared by yours truly?"

Nani can't help blushing a little. There's no denying that the sight of Noelani, even all sweaty and covered in grime, makes her heart skip a beat lately. She can't quite pinpoint exactly when it started to happen, though. "Very cute," she replies with an amused smirk. "But you're disgusting, and I'm going to be late to work. Let's take a rain check on that, shall we?"

Nani Kealoha has a work ethic that may cause envy in some while causing others to call her a workaholic. Following in the footsteps of her father, she's committed to devoting as much time and energy as possible to the conservation of Sulani's one-of-a-kind ecosystem. But she's more interested in enacting change through policy and lawmaking than on-the-ground research and science. Politics is an arena where she can leave a lasting ecological imprint that stands for generations to come, not just convince people to change their habits on an individual basis. She's certain that her confidence, intelligence, and passion will take her all the way to the top.

But, first, she has to put in the long, monotonous hours necessary to prove to her superiors that she's capable of more. She spends most of her time drafting policies and speeches for those who are in higher positions than her to deliver.

At home, though, she recites their complex, jargon-laden sentences in front of the bathroom mirror like she's the one who will be presenting them. It's never too early to start practicing for the future. The question isn't if she'll ever be writing speeches for herself to give, but when.

Of course, some days, she's relegated to doing grunt work cleaning up beaches and ticketing litterers with the other trainees. Her dad says she has to prove she can do the hard stuff first - that she's willing to shed literal blood, sweat, and tears for the cause - if she truly wants to dedicate her life to this field.

Having her dad on hand to personally train her makes things a whole lot easier. Not everyone has that sort of advantage, so she's sure to pick his brain for knowledge and advice as often as she can. He knows the ins and outs of ecology and conservation better than just about anyone else she knows - except maybe Noelani's mom, whose mentorship she's also always eager to receive.

On her off hours, which are few and far between, she's attempting to start a small flower garden on the back patio, stifling Sulani heat be damned.

She's picked up an interest in crafting flower arrangements - it's an amazing form of stress reduction - and she'd rather toil over growing her own supply of blossoms and blooms than pay exorbitant prices for greenhouse-grown product. Another thing about having to claw her way up the ladder at work is that her starting salary isn't exactly generous; she has to cut costs wherever she can.

"What do you say?" Noelani asks, flipping an omelet in the frying pan. "Ready to cash in that coupon for an all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet courtesy of moi?"

Nani sighs in resignation, barely looking up from her phone. "Sorry, I've got to jet. But this weekend, for sure!"

With the weight of gender dysphoria both figuratively and literally off their chest, Noelani 'Aukai is ready to take the world by storm. After a tumultuous and confusing adolescence, they're determined to make the most of their young adulthood and grab hold of every opportunity presented to them. They finally feel comfortable in their own skin, and they want everyone to know it. They've been hiding in the shadows for too long.

As much as Noelani's mother would be happy if they, too, took an interest in continuing on a legacy of environmentalism, Noelani has other plans. As they've grown up, they've watched Sulani catch up to modernity while also retaining its own unique culture. They believe they can use their passion for music and DJ'ing to bring this new, improved version of Sulani to the world's stage, embedding traditional island rhythms and melodies into fresh and exciting electronic soundscapes. Of course, they've still got a long way to go, so they spend every spare moment they can experimenting and honing their craft.

Meanwhile, until they can hopefully start making a living solely off their music, they're working as a mixologist at the Sand Bar, which is also new and improved, having recently been renovated into a more hip open-air experience in the hopes of pulling in the latest generation of drinking-age Sulani citizens, who are more interested in cultivating a proper nightlife scene than any generation before.

The lucky thing about working at the Sand Bar is that the manager is open to the idea of letting Noelani play DJ on the nights they don't have shifts, as long as they don't start driving paying customers away. Nani and Malia drop by to support Noelani whenever they can, which usually means ordering ridiculously elaborate drinks (and asking for friends-of-the-bartender discounts) and being general well-intentioned menaces.

"I can't wait for your first big show tomorrow night!" Nani exclaims. "Are you totally freaking out?"

"Well, I wasn't," Noelani replies slowly, glaring at her pointedly, "until you brought it up."

Nani immediately blushes in embarrassment. "Oh, sorry. I'm sure it'll be great, though!"

"Yeah, I just hope people actually show up."

Malia clears her throat loudly. "Excuse me, Bartender, but some of us would like to get our drinks some time in the next century."

"Thank you!" Malia says primly then swipes her drink and heads for the karaoke lounge. "Nani, are you coming?"

Nani rolls her eyes at Noelani, who offers a sympathetic smile. "Some people can be so demanding."

"Bold coming from the girl who demanded two discounted drinks instead of one," Noelani shouts over the rising din of chatter as the bar quickly begins to fill up with the nighttime crowd.

"Hey, if I have to witness and/or participate in off-key karaoke duets all night, I'm going to need an extra-strong anti-mortification shield to survive it!"

By the time Nani reaches her, Malia has already gulped down her first drink and is buzzing with anticipation. "The talent is severely lacking tonight! We are about to knock the socks off everyone in this place. I already signed us up for the next free slot."

"Suuuure," Nani replies slowly, unconvinced by Malia's overconfidence. "Just let me get some alcohol in my system first."

"Good evening, Sulani!" Malia shouts at the array of empty tables and chairs in front of them. "Before we launch into this next one, I'd just like to thank our many adoring fans in attendance tonight. We're so glad you could make it!"

The next night, Noelani steps behind a proper DJ booth for the first time ever. They can't believe how different it feels from standing behind the battered, rinky-dink booth they have at home. The equipment is shiny and brand new, and the sound system is top-of-the-line. Suddenly, they're afraid that the mixes they've been noodling with for weeks will sound puny and amateur on real speakers in front of a real dance floor.

They cue up the first song hesitantly, but it doesn't take long for them to relax into the groove of the sounds they've so painstakingly put together. The music sounds amazing, even better than it did on headphones or mediocre computer speakers! The bass thumps so loud the floor almost shakes, and the synthetic loops are impossible not to bop along to.

Even if the only people who seem truly invested are Noelani's two best friends, they still feel a rush of adrenaline and exhilaration. They've spent so long with this music in private that it feels like a cathartic release to finally play it in public. They can even see several people bobbing their heads in the distance, even if they're still too afraid to come out onto the dance floor. Noelani will get them there eventually. Their goal is to make music so bold and assertive and infectious that no one will be able to stand not being on the dance floor.

"Are you sure you liked it?" Noelani asks as the three of them celebrate back at home with a bottle of expensive red wine. They felt so filled up with confidence when they were on-stage, but as soon as they stepped out of the booth, the self-doubt started to creep in. What if they're only kidding themselves by believing they can make a career out of this?

"Yes, of course!" Nani insists for the tenth time. "I loved it!"

"But it could've been better, right?"

"I don't know anything about music," Malia pipes in, "but I could dance to it, and that's all that mattered to me."

"Okay, I'm tired of talking," she exclaims five minutes later, when Noelani still can't stop voicing their worries out loud, and abruptly leaves the table. "I think it's about time we break in this hot tub."

"Hell, yeah!" Noelani grabs their half-finished glass of wine and follows. "A good long soak in the hot tub is exactly what I need."

Nani shouts after them, "Guys, you'd better leave room in there for me!"

They change into their bathing suits while they wait for the tub to fill up. "Don't worry, there's plenty of room for all of us," Noelani says once they're all comfortably inside. Thanks to the wine, their cheeks are deep red and their eyes are bright and sparkling. Summoning up every ounce of liquid courage sloshing around inside, they add suggestively, "But you could always scoot a bit closer if you wanted." Nani releases a too-loud laugh in response, her entire body flushing pink at once.

"Is this close enough for you?" she asks, surprising Noelani by diving under the water and resurfacing to nudge against their shoulder on the opposite side. Noelani giggles so hard, they start hiccuping.

"Aren't you two adorable?" Malia proclaims loudly from across the hot tub. "I have to admit, though, I'm already feeling a little bit like a third wheel. Okay, a lot like a third wheel. Guys, I'm mad jealous right now."

"This is my hot tub, you know?" But Noelani and Nani barely even seem to hear her. They keep inching closer and closer together, until there is barely any empty space between them, their eyes glued only to each other. "All right, you win. You can have it. This is getting way too steamy for me."

Most of the time, it still feels too awkward for Noelani and Nani to admit that they like each other in the romantic sense of the word in the sobering light of day. They've been friends for practically their entire lives. What if they dive into a relationship, it doesn't work out, and all that is forever tarnished? Now, though, wine-drunk and under cover of night, all that built-up anxiety dissolves. The questions and hesitations slip out of their minds, and they're free to simply bask in each other's presence until they're waterlogged and drowsy.