Snippet #1425087

((T'was a most excellent roleplay indeed, my friends. Although you are all just screen names to me, it was a fun time writing with you all. And hey, we finished the original plotline with Vincent, didn't we? I'll see some of you in "Witch's Garden." As for the rest of you, keep being awesome. Now, this girl has some finishing up to do!))

After everything, being gunned down, and nearly dying on a few occasions, it was over.
Vandara had disappeared, and the threat to Soul Threads was gone. Who knew what happened... Maybe there were more people out there like Aevis and Zeke, maybe not. But regardless, Andra and Lukas were finally able to reunite at the hospital, and after the group heard about what had happened to Vandara, after they had been so ready to run and leave everything behind, they were able to relax. Coincidentally, Lukas' eighteenth birthday was only a few days following, so they held a small party in the dorms for him, inviting everyone whom they had accompanied through the mission and the hospital excursions. It was a celebration of freedom, as cheesy as it sounded to Andra and Prince. But indeed, it was true. Lukas got a few gifts from his parents, but what really mattered to him was spending time with his friends.

Andra and Lukas both finished out the year, graduating with above average grades and several friendships that lasted throughout, and they were dating for the entire rest of the year, since they now had time to focus on dating. Sometime over Christmas, the two managed to meet each others' parents, who became very good friends themselves. Everything seemed good, and perhaps the relationship could have gone even further and lasted even longer, and both families decided to move away from San Francisco and into the suburbs of southern Ohio. It was quite a change, and it saddened both of the kids and their Threads to leave their old friends from the Academy, but it was time to leave that behind and make a new life for themselves.

Their relationship lasted until the August before their Freshmen years of college, when they realized they weren't for each other. The two remained excellent friends and kept in touch for the rest of their lives, however, and visited each other often over breaks and summers off from college.
Andra went to Ohio State, where she was a Music and Criminal Justice double major (an odd combination indeed). Her freshman year roommate, Mae, and she ended up becoming best friends; Her roommate didn't seem to mind Prince very much, and had a Soul Thread of her own. A regal orange tiger, named Nobility. He and Prince were almost as amused by the ridiculous similarities as the two roommates were themselves.
Lukas, on the other hand, attended a school in Michigan. Lake Superior State University. He was a Psychology and Sociology double major. His freshman year roommate and he didn't exactly get along at first, for the other boy had no Soul Thread, but in time the two were able to respect each other. And Huma was able to keep his growling to a minimum when the two got into an argument.

When it came to finding love for the two, Lukas found his wife when he was a Senior in college, and her name was Elizabeth. She had a Gazelle Soul Thread, and they ended up having three children. Only one of them, one of their two boys named Kerwin (after the feisty raccoon himself), had a Soul Thread; a German Shepherd. They, too, received the book written by Eve in the mail, and although it was written as fiction and there were some additions to make things more interesting to those who hadn't actually participated in the events themselves, he knew it was based exactly on those first couple of weeks at the STA. They never forgot about them. Lukas died at the age of 83, and his wife very soon after.

Andra met the one who would eventually be her husband in her Junior year at Ohio State. His name was Leon, and his Soul Thread was a golden eagle. The two were married the summer after their Senior years, living long and fully. The pair had two children: an athletic and fun-loving boy named David, followed by a girl named Michelle. Both had Threads, a skylark and a butterfly, respectively. It was quite a change from the larger Threads their parents had, but that didn't matter too much.
One day, Andra and Leon received a package in the mail. It was a book, entitled Knotted, written by Andra's old friend, Eve. She shared it with Leon and her children, who had learned about her endeavors at the STA, but were always slightly skeptical to their credibility. Now, there was proof, and the stories lived forever with all of them, despite the guise of fiction.
Andra died suddenly at age 65 in a car accident, and Leon eventually succumbed to old age when he was 80, delighting in the memories he had with Andra. Their Threads died with them, having lasted quite some time. Prince's fur had started to turn grey, and Leon's eagle had difficulty flying long distances, but in the end their lives had been lived fully.

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[Michelle, age 34]
A bright eyed boy looked up at Michelle. and his Thread, a still fluffy chick of an owl, was cupped in his hands. He had just discovered the owl on the short walk he took from the bus stop to home, and picked it up because 'it told him it was lonely.'
Michelle was no fool, and with her butterfly Thread Ritz's discernment she found out that the owl was her oldest son, Lukas', Thread. He was about 7 now.
"What is it, mommy?" He asked, bright blue eyes unsure where to look; his new found, life long companion or his mother.
"It's called a Soul Thread, Lukas. You know Ritz, right?"
"Yeah?"
"She's a Thread, too. And remember the big lion, Prince, that grandma had?"
"Yeah! He was real big!" The child, still quite innocent at heart for a 7 year old, spread his arms out wide to show just how big.
Michelle laughed. "Well, he was also a Soul Thread. What do you want to name your owl, or does he tell you he already has a name?" She asked.
"His name is... I'll call him Rufflet." He grinned as the owl nodded then snuggled in his hands. He held it close to his chest and smiled.
"I like that name. It suits him. For the time being, at least," She said to herself. Then she picked up her son and set him on her lap. "Want to hear a story about Soul Threads?" She asked, reaching for a well worn book on a desk.
"Yeah! I have one now!" Lukas exclaimed.
"Well, this story happened a long time ago, when your Grandma was only 18! That was before I was born! But she attended a big school, where the kids lived there, away from home, and she and Prince got in to a couple really big adventures there..." She opened the book to the first chapter, able to summarize it into a 7 year old's desirable length. It became a bed time story over, and over, and over again, and when Lukas was old enough, he read the whole thing through, without need for a shorter summary. The story was continually passed down about Andra, Lukas, Greyson, Eve, Jamie, Damon, Aevis, Melonie, Scott, Cage and their Threads, at least in that family. It never seemed to grow old, despite the length of time that had passed since the event. Some good stories simply don't need to fit the times.

((PHEW. Long? Very. But I like it. I bid thee farewell, Soul Threads.))