Though he feels a rising sense of dread, Cedric would be lying to himself to claim he was entirely surprised. They're from different worlds. Howard's always been different about food, always concerned that there's enough to eat and that nothing is wasted. And Howard does tend to disappear for hours at a time.

And this is the explanation. He walks over to the couch, sitting at a safe distance. It's usually safest to close the gap slowly.

"Hey yourself," Cedric whispers back. "What's going on?"

He doesn't expect an answer right away. He just needs an initial response to figure out which way to go.