The contents of the locked drawer were laid out in front of me on the desk. I’d not been able to make out and details Inside the drawer but now I could see things a bit better.  Front and center was what looked in the dim light like a curved figurine of a creature.  A dragon or wyvern maybe.  I wasn’t going to touch that; it was too easily identifiable.  Then again, I was wearing a stolen guard’s uniform, but even so it seemed a silly risk.

There were also some papers, and in this light, I had no chance of reading them, so I found myself in a quandary.  Possible risk versus the possible value of the papers.  If they were valuable enough to lock up, perhaps they had some use, but if they were really worth anything would you leave them at work?  In the end, I had to make a quick decision and the uniform decided for me.  If I was caught, I would be hard pressed to explain it away, so carrying papers wouldn’t make much difference.  With a shrug, I shoved the papers into Crazy Steve’s backpack.

Here was the real prize.  A thick leather-bound book.  By tracing my fingers over the cover, I could make out the symbol of Faircrest.  If I was right, this was the book of regulation that all guards and other such employees of the city had to sear to uphold.  Taking this was serious business, but I was committed now.  Before I stashed the book in my pack, I marked the occasion with a few words and made ready to leave.

The troubling pain from my ribs had lessened slightly, but was still a reminder that I needed to keep moving.  Time was not my friend tonight, so I hurried towards the door

A sudden thought stopped me and I grinned evilly.  I went back to the desk and collected the figurine.  Picking a locker at random, I put the carving inside, tucked away behind what felt like some waterproof oil skins.  I took care to close the locker.  My realistic hope was that this would sow some confusion when the guards came to investigate the break in.  My long-shot, but wouldn’t it be perfect if it worked out, hope was that whatever run of bad luck was ruining my night would suddenly reverse and it would turn out to be the Jackalman guard’s locker and he’d find himself with some explaining to do.

With that cheery thought distracting me from my injury I set off towards my next stop.