Ah yes. Alderstep loved when his brain guessed things and got them right. It made him feel less braindead. He returned Bumblestar's stare, though he doubted he looked as captious as she. He hunched over a bit, finding ease as he realized that the leader was actually pretty informal, in the "no honorifics" way and not the "feeling like sleeping in" way. Maybe he could get away with being a bit insolent. Stars know that he'd wither away if he had to keep a tamp on his tongue whenever he felt like being insensitive.
"Hmm. Yeah. I understand," he answered.
Patrols seemed easy enough to manage. Gather up some cats, send them out, and join them if time allowed. It helped that he'd been on them before, obviously. Reports, though. Flameheart probably knew more about those, what with her being the head Keeper and essentially taking over all deputy responsibilities for the last moon or so. He supposed he'd have to rely on the Keepers telling him things and keeping his eyes and ears perked for any and everything going on in the clan. That in turn meant he'd have to be involved. It was all daunting, for sure, but he'd manage. Alderstep had no choice, either way.
Don't say it. Don't. Just don't. It was definitely
not time for being petty. He asked a question instead.
"Sooo...I can just barge in here whenever to report and stuff?" Well, technically it was his den too. Rather clearly, he didn't view it that way. Alderstep still clung to the memory of sharing a den with annoying, snoring warriors that woke him up when he fully planned on sleeping later. Painfully, he was aware that it didn't even matter what den he was in anymore, because, at the end of the day, there wasn't anyone to cling to stubbornly.
Alderstep was struck suddenly with a bout of horror. What if Bumblestar wasn't a sound sleeper? If she snored loudly or something of that sort, he just might follow the latest trend and disappear into the night. Probably not, though. He only indulged dramatics within his own mind.
[ @
dino. don't mind me replying not even fifty minutes later
]