(no subject)

[alt_charlie]

Thank you to everyone who's sent birthday greetings, and to everyone here at the reserve who's gone out of their way to make today such a lovely day!

(And special thanks to Copacati, our Peruvian Vipertooth, who could've bit me today and restrained herself. Don't think she knew it was my birthday, but I appreciate it anyway.)

Now I'm going to go back to pretending I don't know about the birthday cake Emmett's been cooking up for me for dinner, and defending my Mum's shortbread against all comers. If any of you lot of ravenous beasts want some of it, you'll have to ask really nicely.

Comments

Private message to Charlie Weasley

[alt_bill]

Maybe Copacati is getting more discriminating with maturity.

Hope Dree and Em treat you right tonight! Sounds like it, if there's a birthday cake in the oven.

Here's my next move: Ra6.

Private Message to Deirdre ní Mháille

[alt_charlie]

Look, love, you know that I hate it when you two fight, but I hate it even more when it feels like the fight has something to do with me. And I don't mean in the "you'll ruin Charlie's birthday" sort of way, and you'd better believe I gave him a right telling off for that as soon as you'd left.

If you're upset with him over something, tell him. Don't use me as an excuse. I know everyone's on edge right now, but I said right up front when we started all this: I won't get between you two. And I won't let either of you shove me there, either, no matter how hard you try. I love you both, but you two are the ones who need to sort this out, and not use me as a reason to pick at each other.

And if this isn't working for you, you just have to tell me. I know this was your idea in the first place, but I won't be at all offended if you decide it's time to move on. Honest. I'd rather keep you both as friends than have this whole thing go down in flames, yeah?

Private Message to Emmett Aillín

[alt_charlie]

Love, I told Dree, and I'll tell you the same: you need to stop putting me in between the two of you. I don't care what the two of you are really fighting over, but I don't appreciate being used as an excuse, and I don't need you defending me to her when it's not really that you're defending me, it's that you're angry with her and are looking for any reason to get up her nose and I just happen to be convenient.

And for the record? I really don't appreciate you trying to talk me into breaking the rules just because you're upset. A birthday cuddle isn't enough of a reason to screw up years of negotiation, and I really hope you've realised that already, or will soon enough once you calm down. That part's most important to Dree, but everything we agreed to was important to someone, and what's important to me is that we don't break our agreement just because something didn't go the way one of us had planned. I can put up with sleeping alone, even when I'd been looking forward to snuggling up with you both, way more than I could put up with knowing I was doing something Dree would be hurt by.

I know you'll both need some time to cool off, so please take it, yeah? I'll be here whenever you fix up whatever's wrong. And if the thing that's wrong is "this isn't working anymore", just tell me. I told her, I'll tell you: I'd rather keep you both as friends than have this whole thing turn into disaster.