Once a scrawny street kid constantly on the brink of death, Jeniah Morgan had been clumsy at attempts of persuasion and pickpocketing. She remembered those years all too well. Watching as her mother had succumbed to the plague that devastated the city of Dunwall, her eldest brother slaughtered under suspicion of heresy. She had only been 10 when a dangerous face had emerged and offered her a chance to fight, a chance to survive.

She had only ever heard stories of him, this deadly man who bent supernatural gifts to his will. Her mother had warned her to be wary of him. 'The Knife of Dunwall', they called him. Now she fought by the man's side, along with dozens of her other companions, all sworn to serve the will and ways of him. Some of the newer recruits had feared him still, that his ways would lead them to their own perilous deaths.

The man had simply answered their fears with, "If you believe that this is a place of sanctuary, you are poorly mistaken. This is an assassins' guild, and if you are having second thoughts, I'd be glad to send you to the Outsider myself." Of course, Jeniah had believed it at first, but she now understood that, though there was a majority of truth to the statement, Daud had never truly planned to kill a few reluctant children. The ones who did choose to stay, however, were all dished out a share of the assassin's power. And in return, all Whalers were to remain loyal to their master, lest they want to be branded and executed as traitors.

As she trained here against her combat tutor Rafael, in their desolate, worn out shell of a building that served as their base of operations, those memories of helplessness fueled her blade, which clashed against Rafael's in deafening scrapes and clangs of metal-on-metal. Jeniah was a Whaler of about 2 years now, and she was doing quite well. She took the missions, did as she was told, and earned the occasional half-hearted praise of her master.

But the small voice inside her always whispered, always yearning for more.

So when the day came when Daud was contracted to assassinate Empress Jessamine Kaldwin, well, there were lots of doubts, but it was a job, and it paid just as well as the rest. Maybe even better.

Most had simply thought that the old man wouldn't do it. Oh, how they were wrong.

But things changed after that. Over the months, Daud had changed. He became rather soft on targets, simply finding another way around killing them instead. When the rumors had been confirmed, she had overheard the disdain in her fellow Whalers' voices when they talked about Daud. 'Am I the only loyal one left?', she wondered.

Pacing circles in her master's office, Jeniah waited for him, waited for the chance to speak to him. Moments later, she caught a glimpse of bright red in the corner of her vision and lifted her masked head to acknowledge her superior's presence in the room. "Sir, if I might have a moment of your time?" She approached him cautiously, as if even the words on her tongue would cause him to turn any pent-up rage onto her. But he did not turn to look at her, did not even shift his gaze to her.

"Go on.", he rasped out, his voice like gravel. Intimidating, especially to any normal 12 year old girl. But she was not normal.

"Sir...a few of the others have been whispering behind your back. They plan to attempt to turn you over to the City Watch, that you would be too soft to fight back."

The man was silent for what seemed like an eternity, then finally directed a gaze like daggers at her. "No one likes a tattler. But is this true?"

Jeniah nodded, yet said nothing. What else was there to say? 'Sir, I also do not trust your second-hand, Billie Lurk'? No. 'Sir, I just wonder how soft you've become'? Definitely not. She waited for a long moment for any response, but Daud just looked as if he was deep in thought. 'As if he was coming up with a scheme.', she thought. "..Sir, Corvo will be coming some point in the near future, and if I were you, I'd put the fear of treachery back into their minds."

"Is that what makes a man truly loyal, Jeniah? The terror of betraying their superior?" Daud had directed his attention back to her, his glare sharp enough that she felt it might slice the respirator mask right off her face.

"No, sir-"

"It seems you perceive it that way. If it were truly that way, then the City Watch would have broken apart years ago. You see how those numbskulls fight. Who even trains them?"

"Captain Geoff Curnow, sir."

"It was a rhetorical question, Jeniah. Have you no humor?" Daud perked an eyebrow, the old scar running down the left side of his face clear as day.

"I wasn't aware you had any humor in you, sir." Jeniah smiled under her mask, understanding that the man was simply pulling her leg.

Daud must've sensed her understanding as well, because she could see the slightest upward pull at the corners of his mouth, a makeshift smile. So his humorous side was still there, just deeply buried under a mountain of trauma and the blood that would forever stain his hands. "This isn't the career I'd usually expect of a young girl like yourself."

"Apologies, sir. Would you rather have me leave to exploit myself at the Golden Cat?"

Those corners of his mouth pulled up just a bit more, and he let out a small chuckle under his breath, barely audible. "By the Void, no. I wouldn't prefer anyone to be subjected to that life. What I mean is, you shouldn't be stuck here to be at my every beck and call. You're still young, a full life ahead of you."

Jeniah's smile faded, and she reached up to unclip the leather straps of her mask. She pulled the stuffy thing off, slate gray eyes seeming to gleam in the dim light of the day that streamed through the crumbling windows. "Sir. If you'd like me to leave, you'd only need to say so."

Daud shook his head. "You misinterpret. This is your decision, and it has nothing to do with my command. For once, I'm giving you a clear choice." He propped himself against one of his large desks, gazing expectantly at Jeniah.

But she just shook her head in response. "Sir, you gave me a purpose, and I am going to fulfill it to the finest of my ability." She sucked in a breath, then continued. "My purpose is to serve you gratefully, and to be happy with food in my belly and a sword on my hip."

The man let out a thoughtful and amused grunt. "I watched as a 10 year old girl fought against City Watch guards, who threatened to slit her throat when she protested against them taking her older brother. I'd say you've risen quite a ways from being that girl."

Jeniah dipped her head respectfully. "Thanks to you, sir. We all owe ourselves to you in some way or another." To that, Daud nodded. 'He must have already acknowledged that already, stupid.', she thought to herself silently. She turned her face back up to Daud. "If I may be excused, sir."

"Go ahead, I'll talk to the others about what you mentioned, and I will keep it anonymous."

Jeniah turned on her heel, and without a second thought, left the room in silence.