The soft crackle of burning incense resembled the rustling of wind through dense foliage. Smoke drifted from the top of the censer as afternoon sunlight streamed through the windows, making the heavy curtains hanging nearby sway slightly.
One Hand rested on the table, long fingers holding a quill as he carefully wrote ancient words. The armlet around his wrist and the golden tattoos on his arm proclaimed his exceptional status.
With a clatter, his earrings struck together. The long black ears atop his head twitched, and Anubis narrowed his eyes at the document in his hand.
"Lord Anubis! I'm here to collect today's personnel list!" Another black wolf-headed man who looked somewhat like Anubis walked in.
He reached up to rub his ear, bared his teeth, and said, "Business has really been getting busier lately. We never should have taken on the reception department's work. We're the busiest people in all of Heaven, while those Asgardians would rather fight in the plaza than come help us..."
"Stop complaining." When Anubis spoke, his voice was so hoarse that the words were nearly indistinguishable. He glanced at the papers on the desk and said, "What is wrong with the people at registration? Why did you write down so many duplicate names?"
"Duplicate names?" The wolf-headed man standing at the door flicked his ears, tilted his head, then stepped forward to look at the document on Anubis's desk. "Oh, this? These are members from Heaven. Their names all come with strange titles..."
"For instance, this word would roughly translate into our language as 'general.' This one is a more formidable general, while this one is less formidable. It's the same with these; this word probably means something like noble or minister..."
The wolf-headed man shrugged. "It's a system they came up with in