What Garrett came to Artemus for was… Concerning to say the least.
"Erin killed someone tonight…" The elder thief murmured quietly into his teacup, his expression was stoic though Artemus could see the emotions rolling about his son's eyes.
"We snuck into a rendezvous between some commoners interested in the revolution and one of the lower rungs." The thief stated before going into a simple debrief as Orland always demanded.
"His name was Mithrin, he worked as a tailor before a riot burned down his house and livelihood, he's been getting by on what little coin he can scrounge up and thinks the revolution is the only option he has... They've claimed the name, 'Graven Dawn'." Garrett said softly, absentmindedly.
"I'll inform Orland." Artemus assured his son gently, patiently waiting for Garrett to continue onto the real issue at hand.
"Erin wanted to split up." Garrett sighed after a pause, "Which I thought was weird… She said something about reading the documents they had out on the table which we didn't really need because they were discussing them out loud and the risk always outweighed the reward, and you know that it's always better to let the opposition think they have the upper hand…"
Garrett's wrist trembled slightly as he rose his cup to his lips again.
"But it was a small building, so I agreed…"
The elder thief paused, quiet and thoughtful before he shifted to retrieve some scraps of documents from somewhere hidden on his person, he set them down on the table with revered melancholy…
There was blood on the parchment...
"I heard a noise… Right above my head, on the floor above me..." Garrett continued softly, "It was this kind of thump, but heavy… And then this gurgle…" The thief shuddered, nearly violently as he bowed his head low, staring intently into his cup as if to hide from Artemus' judgement…
"I found Erin standing over this dead man… His throat was slit and he was still bleeding, still twitching and Erin… Erin was just standing there…" Artemus rose from the table to settle his hand at Garrett's shoulder, offering a silent comfort as Garrett continued to murmur his tale.
"At first I thought she had been attacked." He admitted softly, "Why else would she… Do that?" Garrett's voice faltered then as an abrupt sob tore through his throat.
"But she wasn't… She wasn't hurt or anything… She was just standing there, she wasn't even looking at the dead man Pa… She was looking at his ring."
Artemus cooed softly into Garrett's hair as he pulled his son close to his chest.
"When I confronted her she seemed… Nervous, like the kind of nervous she gets when she does something wrong and she knows it was wrong but she did it anyways…" Artemus nodded slowly.
"She told me that she wasn't hurt, that it was an accident, that she was sorry…" Garrett curled further into himself, "I went through some of the files she'd been collecting... I know I shouldn't have but she wasn't acting right, Pa… She wasn't."
There was a long, uncomfortable pause once Garrett actually broke down and began to cry. Garrett had only cried, as far as Artemus knew, thrice before.
When Artemus finally took him to the Haven, carrying him through that cold winter night bundled beneath his cloak.
The night he and Erin slipped away.
And the night Artemus found his wayward children once more…
"Erin's been… Erin's been taking blood coin Pa, she's been taking blood coin and I… I don't know what to do."
Artemus didn't know either…
Between Garrett and Erin… Erin had always seemed more angry, more resentful. Garrett couldn't hold a grudge to save his life, he could and would remember, forever if need be, but he was professional enough not to act out against his enemies…
But Erin?
Erin could still recall the origin of each and every scar on her body…
Erin was wrath and anger and fear and hate and…
Erin was loyalty… Erin was compassion and adoration.
"Erin loves you Garrett." Artemus murmured softly into his son's hair, "Erin loves you, she's loved you since she first met you… There is never a good reason to take another life, but you can trust that Erin would never hurt you."
Garrett jerked away from his father.
"I know Erin would never hurt me!" He seethed, "She's! She's my sister, Pa! Your daughter! She loves us!"
Artemus gently tugged Garrett back to his side.
"She has blood on her hands…" The Keeper murmured softly.
Garrett nodded.
"She… I don't know how much blood is on her hands, I don't want to know how much blood is on her hands…" Garrett whispered. "I don't know when she started accepting blood coin or how she began…"
"Are you upset with Erin?" Artemus asked quietly as his hand began to run over his son's spine.
"I don't…" Garrett mumbled tightly, "I don't know." He concluded, "I don't want her to kill people, Pa… I don't want…" Artemus sighed as he tucked Garrett's head beneath his chin, cradling the thief close.
"You remember what I asked of you in the cathedral attic?" He asked softly.
"To always take care of Erin…" Garrett replied quietly, Artemus nodded.
"Do you still love your sister?" The Keeper asked as the thief's arms came to loop around his waist. "Of course…" Garrett whispered, "She's my sister…"
Artemus ran his hand through his son's hair, gently tilting Garrett's head back before his palm settled against the thief's cheek.
"Will you still take care of her?" Artemus hummed, Garrett leaned into the palm as he mumbled a quiet, "As best I can." Artemus nodded as his other hand came to rest at Garrett's cheek as well until he was cradling his son's head.
"This path Erin has chosen is her choice Garrett, I need you to remember that." The Keeper said simply, "We learn from our choices, good and bad, just because Erin is choosing something that you and I don't necessarily agree with, it does not mean she is any less my daughter or your sister."
Artemus looked between his son's eyes.
"No matter what… Do you understand?"
Garrett nodded firmly.
"Be there for her." Artemus emphasized, "Keep her safe, talk to her, but don't try to force her into following you, let her come to you."
The Keeper smiled, small and fragile.
"And she will come to you Garrett… Just give her time."