Give | Witten Financial

CHAPTER ONE
As you walk back to the shop together, the girl says her name is Delilah. She explains that her parents were poor and fell to sickness when she was 12. She’s been alone on the street for more than two years.

"This is my shop and home,” you say as you approach the door. “You are welcome to stay with me as long as you like. But you have to get in first.”

You close the door in her face and lock it. Delilah shakes the handle but the lock holds strong. You crack a window to deliver some advice on how to get into your shop. What do you say?
- "A true rogue knows that a lock is merely a challenge. There’s likely something around here that will help you defeat my door."
- "It’s important to always be light on your feet. Just because the door is closed doesn’t mean a window isn’t open."
Delilah continues to shake the handle of the door but to no avail. She circles the building and finds some wires in a pile of rubbish in the alley. You watch as she toys with the wires. Determining several to be sturdy enough, she returns to the door and inserts them into the lock. Minutes later, you hear the lock turn and the door swings open. Delilah is framed in the doorway with a triumphant grin on her face. You invite her inside and take her to her room, offering pointers on lock picking along the way.
Delilah backs away from the door and looks at the shop itself. It is a three-story building with multiple ramparts and scaffolding. A perfect climbing surface for those with the skill. You watch as she notices the open window on the third floor and begins to prepare for her climb. With surprising grace, Delilah uses some nearby boxes to vault onto the shop’s awning and grabs a drainpipe to scurry up to a thin platform on the second level. You walk up the stairs to see her carefully step across the platform and to the exposed brick that provides handholds for her to climb up and through the open window. You go up to the next level and see her sprawled face down on the floor. “Good job,” you say. “But we’ll need to work on that dismount."
CHAPTER TWO
It’s been several months since you brought Delilah into your home. During the day she helps you around the shop, and at night you work on developing her skills. She’s progressing rapidly, and one day you take her to the local market for a new test.

You’ve placed your old friend Bronwin in the crowd – Delilah is tasked with tailing him home without being seen. You offer the following suggestion to her.
- You suggest that she use people as concealment. Crowds are an effective tool to hide in plain sight.
- You suggest that she use her traversal training to get above the crowd and follow Bronwin from the rooftops. Who would think someone would be tracking them from the sky?
Delilah ingratiates herself in a throng of people surrounding a fruit stand near Bronwin. As he moves through the market, Delilah swiftly transitions between stalls that afford her a good view of the target while keeping herself relatively concealed.

You signal to Bronwin, and he exits the market to a side street with little traffic. Delilah is forced to adapt. Seeing a group of children running in the correct direction, she assimilates in the back of the group and runs past Bronwin, ducking into a small alcove between the buildings to watch him pass.

He goes by. She waits for a beat, and follows silently in his footsteps. Her anticipation is growing as he moves into a residential area – they pass small dwellings with families inside sitting down for an evening meal. Delilah ducks in and around the collection of domiciles to hide herself.

Following silently, you see Bronwin enter his home with Delilah looking at him from a perch underneath a garden box in a neighboring unit. She rises as you approach, her grin spreading from ear to ear.
Delilah scales a building and in a few minutes, you see her diminutive frame silhouetted in the sun, looking down on the crowd. Bronwin is easily visible, dressed in a red tunic and tan pants. As he moves about, Delilah skirts across the buildings surrounding the market, staying close enough to easily trail Bronwin should he leave the area.

You signal to Bronwin and he heads south toward an area of the city with few tall buildings. Seeing the challenge before her, Delilah swiftly descends from her perch and follows at a close distance. Her eyes constantly bounce from one side of the street to the other looking for a place to conceal herself when she sees a covered wagon going in the same direction. She sprints toward the wagon and vaults in, peeking through the canvas to confirm Bronwin’s direction.

You follow them quietly as Bronwin turns down another street, and see Delilah quietly jump out of the cart and climb up to a second-story balcony that runs the length of the street. She waits there and watches Bronwin head to a house and let himself in.

Seeing you in the crowd, she gleefully drops down from the balcony and runs toward you, flush with the excitement of a successfully executed mission.
CHAPTER THREE
In the past two years you have molded Delilah from a guarded street youth into a promising young woman capable of adapting to almost any encounter. She’s recently expressed an interest in leaving your stead in pursuit of her own dreams and goals. Though you will be sad to see her go, you are proud of what the two of you accomplished together. As her final days with you approach, you present her with a gift. What do you give her?
- You give her an ancient amulet (one of many in your collection) that allows the user to turn invisible for 60 seconds, once per day.
- You give her a weapon of your own design – one of your repeating hand crossbows. This collapsible, concealable armament will serve her well in many encounters.
Delilah accepts the amulet and says, “Thank you, Lanera. Thank you for taking me in, granting me a place in your home, and teaching me how to be more like you. I’ll use this amulet to protect myself and give back, as you have given so much to me.”

You embrace each other and wish her well, and with a tear in your eye you watch as she walks away from your shop to build a life of her own.
Delilah takes your hand crossbow, aims down the sights, and fires a bolt at one of the central beams in the interior of the shop. You smile, pull the bolt from the wood, and say, “Now that I won’t have your back anymore, this should help you handle yourself when a situation goes south.”

“Thanks,” Delilah says, holstering the bow under her traveling cloak, “but if I use the training you gave me I’ll never need to use it.”

“Let’s hope,” you say. You embrace each other and walk her to the door. With a tear in your eye, you watch your surrogate daughter leave your home not knowing when she will return. But you know this isn’t a goodbye – it’s a “see you soon”.

Chapter One: From the Advisor's Perspective

Being a mentor can be an important part of the Giving process. This can be with your own children, or through an organization who works with children from less fortunate circumstances.

As well, letting your kids fail can be an important part of mentoring.

Teaching those younger than you through trial and error helps them to develop critical learning skills that otherwise might not develop, making them into adults who are better at critical thinking and adapting to life changes as time goes on.
Chapter One: From the Advisor's Perspective

Being a mentor can be an important part of the Giving process. This can be with your own children, or through an organization who works with children from less fortunate circumstances.

And, letting them figure it out on their own is crucial to developing critical thinking skills, which will pay dividends for years to come.

However, be careful about the task you set them up to conquer. Some tasks might be too dangerous for an unskilled apprentice – like climbing through an open window in the 3rd floor of a building.
Chapter Two: From the Advisor's Perspective

Sometimes, the best thing you can do in mentoring someone else is to bring your friends along for the experience.

Bronwin likely had just as much fun trying to spot the young apprentice as she did trying to avoid his gaze.

One of the greatest joys in life is to watch those younger than you figure things out for themselves for the first time. So, set them out on an adventure and see how they do with it!
Chapter Two: From the Advisor's Perspective

You must be a thrill seeker to send a teenager up to the rooftops to jump around like Spider-Man.

This worked, this time around. But, it could also have ended up in disaster. Your great intentions of mentoring a youth in the community could have been ruined by poor execution and a single misplaced footstep.

Maybe have her do a similar task from the ground level next time.
Chapter Three: From the Advisor's Perspective

Helping someone get started on their career path with your resources can be a great way to pay it forward to the next generation.

Sharing even a fraction of your wealth can bring great joy to yourself and others. What may only be a $20 bill to you might be groceries for a week for a starving person.

Congratulations! You have finished the Giving path for this character!

If you’d like to discover ways to give of your time and resources, give us a call. We’ll be glad to lead you through this process and get you connected to resources you may not have already discovered in your community.
Chapter Three: From the Advisor's Perspective

Helping someone get started on their career path with your resources can be a great way to pay it forward to the next generation.

Sharing even a fraction of your wealth can bring great joy to yourself and others. What may only be a $20 bill to you might be groceries for a week for a starving person.

Congratulations! You have finished the Giving path for this character!

If you’d like to discover ways to give of your time and resources, give us a call. We’ll be glad to lead you through this process and get you connected to resources you may not have already discovered in your community.
Are you looking to give back to your loved ones, community, or a charitable organization? Allow the advisors at Witten Financial to guide you through the giving process and help craft a positive legacy for you that will last generations.

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Chapter One: From the Advisor's Perspective

Chapter One: From the Advisor's Perspective

Chapter Two: From the Advisor's Perspective

Chapter Two: From the Advisor's Perspective

Chapter Three: From the Advisor's Perspective

Chapter Three: From the Advisor's Perspective

Contact Aaron Today