Philippa realized that it wouldn't be long before she came across Lindsey in her line of work, now that she offered freelance work as well as retaining her job at Archeria Instruments, North Triston's largest semiconductor company. And this bright day would be the day when she would be enlisted to manage the stage equipment while Naked Flame, of which Lindsey was the rhythm guitarist, performed at one of the country's largest venues, Gaston Park. Philippa had always had an ear for Metal despite her relatively lowly lifestyle and position in the food chain of species, so it was no surprise that the rich sounds of the pounding music served to captivate her as she stood by to carry out any needed repairs.

The concert went brilliantly, with the band wowing the audience, and by the time they had left, all five of the members were more than ready to get going onto the next stage of their tour. Suddenly, Philippa was called backstage, which she thought was for a routine repair. She grabbed her toolbox and headed into the rooms, but just before she got to where she'd been directed, she bumped into the tall and rather high spirited looking Lindsey. Initially she felt terrified of her, but with a closer look as the two met eyes, she realized that she had served her in one of the shops she'd worked at before back in 2004, when she'd been looking for a laptop computer for her daughter. They had quickly become good friends, although when Lindsey had suffered a brutal attack and carjacking in early 2006, they had lost touch with each other due to Lindsey losing her mobile phone in the attack. But it was as though all this was behind them without a word having been spoken. Her fear melted away, giving way to liquid amazement as the two gawped at one another.

"Lindsey?" said Philippa.

"Phil?" replied Lindsey. "My God...is it really you?"

"Yep!" smiled Philippa, their eyes lighting up as they embraced each other. "I've missed you so much!"

"I've missed you too, Phil." Lindsey said, the pair of them sharing a tear or two before they parted. But before they could go any further, the human stage manager approached the two, telling them that the next band would arrive very soon. At that moment, the two formed a devilish idea as they exchanged smirks.

"Hey cutie!" smirked Lindsey. "Heard it was your birthday!"

"Why, um...yes. Yes it is." said the manager nervously. But they were not finished yet.

"Aw, he's adorable!" beamed Philippa, simpering as she put her hand paws together. "Can we keep him?"

"Uh...girls?" asked the manager, backing away from them. "What are you doing?"

"Yes Phil," grinned Lindsey, "I think we can."

A very special gift from a very special bro, ReokuKurosai has come out with this delightful piece featuring my cat and mouse characters Lindsey and Philippa, who meet again after many years apart. A good birthday was made great by a man who has been there for me almost from the very start, and who has come through for me in a way I won't ever forget. Thank you so much for this and so many things more, RK! <3

Both characters belong to me

Original image: Not available (artist did not post)