"No garou ever regretted takin' too many troops along on a rumble."

Brownstone -- Basement Apt.(#3328RJ)
The basement of the brownstone has been split into two sections. The stairwell leads down into the northwest corner section, which contains the boiler room, furnace, and the elevator shaft. The rest has been converted into another apartment, and Signe's made it into a rather fortified one at that. The only entrance is through a re-enforced steel door with no less than three dead-bolts. There are absolutely no windows at all in any of the four concrete and brick walls. It's a rather stark but functional space. Overhead, the air ducts and plumbing pipes are exposed, while the cement floor is covered by a ragged dark wine and gold Oriental throw rug. A makeshift shelving unit of two-by-fours and cinder block has been erected along the length of the wall with the door, and it houses a stereo, tv and old vcr. Directly opposite this is a beat-up leather couch and two mismatched recliners. The kitchen is small but functional, with a round wooden table and four chairs. Half of the back end of the building has been walled off for a private bedroom, while the rest is open to the living area. This space has been converted into a home gym--complete with wrestling mats, weights, and a full weight boxing bag.

The brownstone has been exceptionally empty lately, but just now, it is creaking back to life as Emma starts tidying things away. A sort of lost appearance has etched upon her face as she puts things away and heats up the oven to start a pizza.

Bzzt, bzzt, comes the sound of someone at the front door just as Emma opens up the oven door. Looks like her guest has impeccably bad timing.

She looks to the pizza oven and then to the door. With a sigh, the pizza is postponed and she moves to answer the door. The peephole brings a jolt of shock to her, and she quickly opens the door up. "Well well," she grins. "Before I say anything else, should I be pissed or relieved at finding you here?"

Cedric looks out at Emma from behind the fine golden hair which falls across his eyes like a fencer's mask, and gives her a slightly rueful smile. "That's for you to decide," he says. "I've had a few... problems lately, not all of them resolved as yet."

Emma nods her head, and opens the door more. "Well, let me get the facts then before I make my decision. You just get in now? I took off for the week to check in on my mom. Holidays and all that." The Get turns to the kitchen and replaces the pie into the oven.

Cedric follows Emma down into the kitchen and leans on the wall, looking like an oversized Christmas angel decoration whose wings have fallen off. "Hope your family's well," he murmurs. "Didn't get chance to visit mine this year... but they generally seem to find that the further I stay away, the better they like me. I tend to be troublesome. But also, I got myself stranded Umbraside and nearly killed by spiders. Not a very jolly three weeks."

Emma looks up at this, one eyebrow lifting. "Three weeks eh? How'd that happen. You don't seem the type to go spider hunting on your own, or for an extended hunt."

Cedric shakes his head. "Wasn't just me," he clarifies. "Three of us ended up in nice little coccoons, all mod.cons, slowly gettin' our gnosis eaten away. Thankfully we were rescued. One of your tribemates and his packies. Dillen."

Emma grins a bit at that, "Good to hear. I'd about thought you just upped and ran off, no word was coming around about anyone. Not that many folks come down to these parts anyway. You none the worse for it though?" She eyes him more critically now, as if gauging his remaining stamina.

Cedric peels himself off the wall and strolls across the kitchen. "No lastin' effects," he confirms. "Other than a persistant desire to slap the livin' bejasus out of Mathias for gettin' us into the mess. We still need to go back into the umbra and cleanse that house of spiders, but I guess we need a few more than three of us."

Emma snorts a little. "I've got a bad experience with 'em too. Spiders I mean. So what is it, a giant house full of webs and spiders? How many you think it should take?" The pizza is checked on by means of cracking the oven open, even though it was put in just a moment ago - it would appear the Get is hungry.

Cedric extends one hand in front of him, palm down, and rocks it back and forth. "I'd like half a dozen at least. More if possible. No garou ever regretted takin' too many troops along on a rumble. I'm up, so's Mathias, so's Ashley, so's Blackriver and Jonathan of my tribe. If Havoc all came along, I figure we'd kick some serious ass."

Emma looks up at this, "Ashley?" She grunts, and there is a definite, and palpable change to the Gets mood. "You want something to eat? I wasn't planning on sharing the meat lovers." The topic also, seems quickly changed.

Cedric seems oblivious to any overtone in Emma's voice when the Black Fury is mentioned. He presses on regardless. "Oh yes. She got caught up tryin' to rescue us. Brave, but crazy. I don't need feedin', so you press right on and scoff the whole pie if you've got the munchies."

It's rather hard to open a door that heavy quietly, and Abraxas doesn't make much of an effort to do so anyway. He opens it just enough to slip in, and then lets it shut heavily behind him. His standard sour look is in place, though the very observant might notice there are less lines between his eyebrows, and a slight lessening of his scowl.

Emma looks over to the door when it opens, "What a reunion." She smirks to Cedric as well, nodding in regards to the pizza. "Well, where Havoc is concerned, we've still got a lot to consider. You've not had the chance to tag along as we arranged, and I've been half gone myself. Hell, Abraxas been around more than us combined."

Cedric's eyes narrow just a fraction as he regards the Shadow Lord. "Everyone has extra-mural calls on their time now and again," he says mildly. "Hope everythin's been tickin' over nicely in the city, Pete?"

Abraxas's eyes narrow far more than Cedric's, and as probably expected, his response is tinged with faint suspicion. "I've been staying near the Brownstone. I suppose it's as nice as can be expected for a human city."

Emma nods her head, "Anything screwy going on while I was out Abraxas? Pull up a chair in here, and fill me in. Us, really. Ced's been out of the loop longer than I have. I need to check in with Grey too yet. So much for holidays."

Abraxas takes a seat, though he remains perched on the edge of the chair, as if he expects to have to leap up at any moment. "There's nothing really to tell. It's been quiet, at least here."
Cedric snorts. "Holidays? What's a holiday?" he asks with irony. "There's Laura and her littl'un too, isn't there. Any news from her?"

"God, she didn't pop the kid while I was gone, did she? I think she's got a while yet, though it's getting closer. We should have a proper pow-wow I guess. It's time we get settled and get back to dirtying our claws into something useful." The oven dings at this point, and with a wide-eyed smile, the Ahroun rises to fetch her pizza.

Emma needed to go, so the scene cut off there.