For the most part, Atasuke wasn't able to hear the commotion going on down the hall. Rather, he was too busy focusing on getting his now finished paperwork into a folder, shuffling the stack of files calmly before placing them into his briefcase. Most mornings went by like this one. He got up early, went downstairs at four o'clock, made himself a cup of coffee, went back up stairs, did a little bit of paperwork before getting dressed. Some of the others thought he was a bit obsessed about organization, despite him protesting that it was proper to have a routine.
The clock struck seven as he left his office-like bedroom, giving out a quiet ring as Atasuke fumbled with his tie, before shoving an MP3 player into one of his overcoat's pockets. Sauntering down the hall, the voices of his fellow tenants seemed to be getting louder, gradually overtaking the music that was blaring into his ear, and causing him to quicken his pace as to not keep them waiting any longer. Finally, he emerged in the kitchen doorway, examining the scene before him with quizzical eyes; what happened next made him smile.
A large mechanical device was on the table, pulsating softly as a slice of buttered toast lay atop of it.
"Yoshi!" He exclaimed, his teeth barring a rictus grin as he smoothed back his hair. "A new toaster! And here I thought that there was a fire with all the yelling."
He took a step forward, plucking the toasted slice of bread off the paper plate.
"Itadakimasu." He said gratefully, raising the food to his mouth and giving it a solid munch.
"Delicious." Atasuke chuckled, wiping a crumb from his lower lip. "Anyhow, I'm going to be late for work at this rate, so I better get going!"
He placed the slice between his teeth, poising himself to dash out the door until his phone beeped suddenly.
Pausing, he reached into his pocket and withdrew the cellular device, quickly flipping the front up.
His eyes widened.
His heart stopped.
A bead of sweat trickled down his face.
The blue light from the phone enveloped his face in a sapphire hue, and the office worker couldn't help but stutter in disbelief at the message on the screen.
"A-a day off?" He mumbled, his voice sounding muffled. "Company holiday?"
With a sigh, he flipped down his phone and placed it back into his pocket.
This had never happened before. Meaning that he was stuck here for today; would he have to socialize? The thought of being near these Demi-gods terrified him. He was just a normal man!
Wait.
He sniffed the air.
"Is something burning?"