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But out of this mess, there is one article that has caught your eye - not a pen, nor an inkwell, unfortunately ... but certainly something useful. Sitting askew on top of one of the waist-high racks is a rucksack. And it is a far cry from the typical specimen, some gaping bundle of salvaged sail-cloth, stitched and strapped up - no, like nearly everything else you have come across in this house, it looks to be thoughtfully made - and without overmuch concern for the cost. Besides the main 'body' of the sack, there looks to be at least a dozen smaller pockets on the outside of it, each with its own flap and toggle to secure it shut. Oddly enough, the thing even has a wooden frame that would rest against the wearer's back and the carry straps all connect into. You have never seen its like before ... but if you had to guess, you'd say that it made it easier to carry heavier loads - you certainly doubt it is to make it any more comfortable.
It might not have been what you were looking for ... but honestly, how could you walk away from this? As it is, your apron pockets are at risk of bursting and your arms - especially your left - are aching. So you snatch the sack right off of the stack, and after one last quick look around the room, you quit the closet. Once you are in the marginally better light of the hallway, you set the sack down - and are surprised when you hear something thump against the wood floor. Your first thought is that it was the wooden frame making contact, but now that you look, you can see that with the cut of the straps you don't think the frame made contact with the floor; moreover, the noise sounded metallic. Curiosity getting the better of you, you open up the main body of the rucksack and start to rifle through it. It takes a bit more doing than you would have expected, as the main body of the sack is sub-divided - and there are even pockets on the inside, too! You clear all of them, turning up nothing more than a hint of dirt - no doubt left over from specimens once carried in here. Confused, you turn your attention to the pockets on the outside - which is where you eventually find what you are looking for. Slipped into one of the lower front pockets, is a time-keeper of all things! Maker's Mercy, what a find! It is missing its chain, but as you turn it over it, then open it is up and look at the dial, everything else seems to be there and unbroken. The chain breaking might explain why it was stowed away like this, but it beggars your probity, your credulity that someone could just ... seemingly forget that they had a time-keeper. Admittedly, these mechanized pieces have apparently been getting cheaper and cheaper over the years, but they are still well beyond the means of most of the Empire.
