Valetni opened the chest once the guard had left. Only cracking the lid, he slipped his arm in and felt around until his fingers grasped the smooth finish of his journal. He retrieved the journal, and then took up a pencil from inside his robes. Allowing the lid to close, he locked it with a key that hung from a chain around his neck. With the chest secured, he unsteadily made his way to the bed. Just as he sat down, a fit of coughing overtook him. When the wracking cough finally subsided, he glanced at his hand, and seeing no blood, merely wiped it on his robes before he took up his journal and began to note down his observations of the dissection while they were still fresh in his mind.