Aspenstar was fully aware of the situation and the tom's particular dislike of her. She supposed that she couldn't blame him; maybe she, too, would be upset in his position. She'd like to think, though, that she wouldn't, that she would understand that the clan needed strength and solace and the only way to find that in a time where the number of bodies in the group only continued to rise was to ensure that the entire staff was filled before calamity struck. Filling staff was part of the reason that she had requested his presence. Of course, Phantomfox wasn't fond of the idea of allowing Dawnbringer onto the guard. He'd made that perfectly clear when she told him her plan. You're promoting who???? had basically been how that conversation had gone. She could understand his hesitation; after all, the Loyal Guard was made of a group of cats whose primary job was to protect both her and Larkspur. Putting a cat who was lukewarm towards her at best was probably dangerous. She couldn't necessarily disagree with him. But, after Larkspur had reported on his behavior when she took him out, Aspenstar had high hopes that under enough scruitinty from Phantomfox, Dawnbringer would shape up to be a vital asset to the Guard. He might not like her, but he was skilled, and that skill was what she needed. 

She let out a sigh as the tom padded into her field of vision. It was the first time the two had directly interacted perhaps ever, which didn't make this situation any less awkward than it already was. "Thank you for being prompt," she meowed when he was close enough to hear her, her tail patting the ground next to her. "Please, sit. We have much to talk about tonight."