The Future of Sulani | 10

Only the tiniest sliver of what San Myshuno has to offer can be seen in one day, and even a week won't be enough to take in everything, but Noelani, Nani, and Malia are determined to pack as much into their trip as they possibly can. At Malia's request, their second day in the city will be spent soaking up some art and culture at the Casbah Gallery.

They can all find something to appreciate in the works on display, and the calm, quiet atmosphere of the gallery is a nice change of pace from the hustle and bustle outside.

Malia is especially excited when they come across a huge communal mural wall and immediately sets to painting her heart away. She even convinces Noelani and Nani to make a few brushstrokes of their own, despite their lack of experience with the medium.

Then she ups the ante by convincing them to give a smaller canvas a try. Maybe she'll make artists out of them yet!

After finishing their painting, Noelani checks the time on their phone. After learning that the Romance Festival is in town, they're planning to surprise Nani with a date. It'll be just the two of them celebrating their love for one another all night long. Seeing that afternoon is already quickly turning into evening, they give Malia a knowing glance, and she suddenly makes a big show of how exhausted she is and how the two of them should carry on without her while she goes back to the hotel for a nap. The stage is perfectly set.

"This is so beautiful!" Nani exclaims when she sees the festival set-up. "I can't believe we're here at just the right time to catch it!" They both pour themselves glasses of sakura tea from the fountain, and it's almost as though it makes their passion suddenly visible. They both seem to glow from the inside out.

There's an on-premises love guru that Noelani thinks is probably a total hoax, but Nani wants to hear what he has to say about their relationship anyway. "But what if he tells us it's doomed?" Noelani asks.

"Good thing he's only a hoax then, right?" Nani flashes a smile then makes her way toward the turbaned man.

"A match made to last the ages," he tells them after making them wait an interminably long time while he stares at them in complete silence. Noelani can't help but breathe a sigh of relief, even though he surely just says the same thing to everyone who approaches. It'd hardly be profitable for the festival if he kept telling couples they're a terrible match.

"Did you hear that?" Noelani exclaims, grabbing a handful of rose petals and tossing them up into the air rapturously. "We're going to be together forever!"

Nani laughs as the petals rain lazily down on her shoulders. "We're definitely going to find that guy and sue him if we ever break up. He'll owe us big-time for emotional damages."

Nani stumbles upon some flower varieties she hasn't seen before and stops to pick a few to take with her. "These would be a lovely addition to my arrangements," she muses. "I'll have to make due with throwing a little bouquet together for the hotel room. Do you think the climate in Sulani would be suitable for these breeds? I'll have to remember to research that later." Noelani is happy to see her so happy.

Of course, no flower is more beautiful to Nani than the rose that Noelani presents to her at the end of the night.

"Oh, but I wish I'd had the opportunity to get you something, too," she murmurs against Noelani's shoulder.

"Trust me," Noelani responds. "Just being here with you right now is the greatest gift I could ever receive."

The Romance Festival serves as a calming interlude in which Noelani can almost pretend that their life isn't going quickly topsy-turvy in the most exciting (but also most overwhelming) way possible. The next night, things are dialed right back up to one hundred when it's time for Noelani to play her first ever DJ gig beyond Sulani's shores at a rooftop club called the Stargazer Lounge. By the end of soundcheck, they've already won over the bartender to the point of convincing her to entirely abandon her post.

Immediately, the dance floor begins to fill up. The crowd isn't unfathomably massive - there's not a line around the building waiting to get in or hordes of fans scrambling for a prime up-front spot - but Noelani is relieved anyway, especially considering they half-expected to end up playing to only Theo, Cara, Nani, and Malia.

Amusingly, one of Noelani's biggest fans appears to be a heavily-pregnant man, who spends the entire set directly in front of the DJ booth tirelessly hyping up the rest of the crowd. Noelani is exhausted just looking at him. As slightly fearful as they are for the baby that's clearly about to pop out at any moment, they greatly appreciate the enthusiasm.

Noelani feeds off the audience's energy, throwing out the rigid set list they had prepared in advance and letting the crowd's reaction in the moment inspire which direction the performance will take next. They've never felt so intensely in their element. Their fingers effortlessly slide along the controls, speeding up and slowing down the tempo, building up layers of hypnotic loops before blasting unexpectedly into the drop, teasing the crowd with drawn-out transitions. The audience eats up every second of it.

On the dance floor, it's Malia versus Nani, round two. Malia starts off simple, busting out a few tried and true classic moves to capture the attention of everyone around her.

Then, once enough heads have swiveled in her direction for her to achieve maximum impact, seemingly from nowhere, she whips out a set of light sticks, deftly swinging them over her head to create dazzling rainbow-hued arcs.

Similarly, Nani begins with a subtle hip swivel, but her confident expression hints that she's got some tricks up her sleeve, too. Clearly, they've both been preparing in secret for this exact moment.

The moment of truth arrives: Nani takes a deep breath and heaves herself up into a flawlessly-executed back flip, sticking the landing like an Olympic gymnast. From their perch in the DJ booth, even Noelani's jaw drops in amazement, and they falter slightly to move into the next track.

The night seems to stretch endlessly forward, and, still, the energy remains non-stop. Noelani is soaked in sweat but feels like they could keep playing forever, or at least as long as the crowd is willing to keep dancing. The bar continues to go unmanned as yet another mixologist is drawn out onto the dance floor instead of doing her job.

Finally, Noelani gets an opportunity to rest. All three friends are bursting with adrenaline and giddiness. They can't think of a more exciting night they've had in their lives. "You've never looked more attractive to me than you do right now," Nani tells Noelani. "You're positively glowing! I don't even care that you smell terrible!"

Noelani giggles, only now taking note of the sour smell radiating from their clothes in practically visible waves. "I don't care either! I feel amazing!"

At this moment, no one is capable of telling Noelani they aren't on top of the world - both literally and metaphorically.

By necessity, the remaining few days of their vacation are far more low-key. Noelani doesn't want the trip to be all about them, so they arrange another surprise for Nani, one that might convince her that San Myshuno could prove to be just as good for her career as for Noelani's.

"This better be worth it," Nani grumbles as they trudge through the city on a soggy morning, umbrellas in hand.

"Trust me, it will be," Noelani assures her.

"What is this?" she asks as they sit down together in front of an empty podium.

"I know you want to make a difference in the world," Noelani replies, "and I think you could do it from here. Imagine how much reach you would have, standing at that podium, speaking to a packed audience, being documented by the press and having your words spread to millions." Nani is silent, seemingly taking it all in, possibly envisioning the exact scenario Noelani has just described. "Go on," Noelani urges her. "See how it feels. Give it a try."

Nani takes a deep breath before stepping toward the podium. Immediately, it's as though the object itself transforms her. She looks poised, confident, and, most importantly, like someone whose words can be trusted. After a few moments, the illusion breaks and she giggles, jumping up and down excitedly. "Oh my God, this feels so powerful!"

Noelani joins her, leaving a gentle kiss on her cheek. "You were absolutely made for this stage."

The rain lets up, and they spend the afternoon aimlessly wandering in and out of shops, sidewalk sales, and outdoor markets. There's so much life and color and energy in these streets. It's as though a delightful surprise awaits around every corner. "I could see us here," Nani concludes. "I think we could be happy."

"But what about home?" Noelani asks tentatively. "Our parents are always going on about how we're the future of Sulani and how important it is for us to keep the island alive. Are we letting them down if we leave it behind?"

Nani shakes her head firmly. "We wouldn't be leaving Sulani behind. We'd be spreading its reach, like you said earlier. We'd be introducing Sulani and everything it stands for to the rest of the world. Isn't that exactly what they've been hoping we would do? We are the future, but our growth and Sulani's is stunted if we only keep standing in place."

Together, they decide to start making arrangements to move. It's a bold and somewhat terrifying step but one that feels necessary and right for the trajectories of their lives. And even though it'll be hard to break the news to their families, they know they'll be supportive in the end. After all, Nani is right. The only way for Sulani to progress upward is for its people to progress outward as well.

*

(I really struggled with this post for some reason and actually ended up deleting a bunch of pictures because I had literally forgotten what their purpose was. So I'm sorry if this one seemed a little uninspired. Hopefully, I'll get back into the groove with the next one.)