Erin never came to Garrett… Or at least not in the way Artemus expected her too.
Garrett remained faithful to his sister, staying by her side, inviting her out with him in the night, offering his hand, shoulder, whatever she may need…
But with every offer, Erin strayed further and further from her brother...
And, with time, she began to stray from her father too...
The weekly tea the three would have soon became Erin joining them every other week... And then once a month... Until it was only Artemus and Garrett meeting...
There was a tension to Garrett, a dangerous kid of anxiety that had felled many thieves before him, Artemus did what he could to try and soothe his son's restless mind, but the Keeper couldn't help but feel... Powerless...
Especially when Garrett's newfound instability brought forth vicious bouts of emotion Garrett had never dealt with before.
Garrett had been beaten down by the world so brutally that, even with all the years of love and support Artemus has offered him, he still preferred to keep his heart tucked close to his chest where he knew it would be safe.
But then Erin had managed to worm her way into his chest and seat herself right alongside his heart..
And now... She was brutally tearing her brother apart...
The fifth time Artemus saw Garrett cry was when his son came to him, alone again as he always seemed to those days...
Things had started simply enough, Artemus was setting up the kettle while Garrett rummaged through his cupboards, snatching some biscuits or whatever caught his fancy to nibble on...
Garrett seemed far more... Subdued, that day, Garrett was always a quiet one, but there was a difference between being quiet and subdued... Artemus tried to coax his son into conversation, asking Garrett about anything interesting he had done since they had last seen one another, asking about any noteworthy jobs or... Anything really...
But Garrett's answers were short and cagy, at most a few words...
When the tea was boiled and biscuits set out, Artemus finally asked the dreaded question...
"What happened?"
Garrett remained silently for a moment, staring down into his tea before he spoke, his words quiet and delicate like china shattered on the ground...
"Erin wants to leave me."
Artemus had already see that the two thieves were growing apart day after day, with Erin seemingly determined to untangle herself from the comfortable cocoon she and her brother had built together while Garrett desperately tried to repair the frayed ends... And all Artemus found himself able to do was watch, helpless in the Haven as he was.
Garrett tried to fix what Erin had left undone... He tried so very hard... But when his efforts to fix, to repair, were time and time again thwarted and rejected... His desperation bled into frustration.
It was both a relief, and a heart wrenching thing to see Garrett throw what little remained to the wayside... But the act of cutting loose something vile and sick, like an infected limb, or a twisted adoration was sadly rewarding in it's own way.
Garrett never truly turned his back on his sister however... He couldn't, he wouldn't...
But it was clear he was no longer interested in chasing her.
Instead, Garrett found himself to delving deeper and deeper into the shadows of the Eternal City, first becoming a myth, then legend. A thing spoken of in hushed whispers, a thing of shadow, unseen and unknown but felt across the city…
He still payed Artemus his weekly visits, talking and drinking tea, discussing the 'Graven Dawn' and their growing influence across the underbelly of the city...
Ever desperate to fill the void of purpose Erin had left in him...
Erin on the other hand…
It hurt, greatly, to think of Erin… To speak of Erin...
To think of the young, sweet girl who used to, along with her brother, cling to Artemus' knees as he walked through the halls of the Haven and hide beneath his cloak to avoid their teachers.
To think of… Of just how heartbroken she looked to her father as Artemus shied from her bloody touch some stray night when they ran into one other, the Keeper out to rendezvous with his son at Garrett's new hideout.
And she, with her blade drawn, out on the hunt.
"Oh Erin… Oh Erin, what have you done?"
"Pappy, I-"
"Where did I go wrong?"
Erin. Daughter, thief, assassin. Choked on a sob, a delicate little sound of anguish that hurt Artemus more than any blade could as she staggered back from her father.
"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry, pappy…"
It was shy of two years before Garrett properly spoke to his sister again.
He had seen her about the city, of course he had, he was a responsible older brother, he kept tabs on her… But they never spoke… Not really.
Erin avoided him whenever she could, he and their father...
And it hurt.
It hurt so incredibly much that Erin would abandon them so easily.
"You two both left me, remember…" Artemus pointed out as he ran his thumbs over Garrett's cheeks, drying his sons tears as best he could. It was Erin's naming day, the day she first arrived in the Haven…
The day Garrett had first met his little sister…
The day they had celebrated together since the very first time they had met...
Only Erin wasn't there.
She came last year, nervous and shy, as if she wasn't sure she'd be welcomed. Of course she was, "You're always welcome home Erin, never, never doubt that!"
But she wasn't there this year...
"But you found us." Garrett hissed through clenched teeth, "Y-you found us." He repeated.
"And you let me." Artemus whispered, "You let me find you Garrett, you let me back into your life and if Erin…" Artemus took a shaky breath.
"If Erin does not want to be found… Then we cannot keep chasing her…"
It was the solemn truth...
Garrett still saw Erin from time to time, always at a distance, always alone… He never gave chase, never called out, never purposely tried to cross their paths… No matter how tempting.
It wasn't until Basso, an old friend from Garrett and Erin's thieving days, began to meddle that the siblings were more or less reunited.
Artemus had met Basso exactly twice. The first time to see just who exactly the boxman his children chattered about so regularly, was.
And the second to see if he knew anything of Erin…
Well the first time Artemus met the man he screamed and cursed Artemus out on the spot, nearly threw a wrench at the Keeper before he recovered from his brief bout of panic he suffered after Artemus had supposedly emerged from nowhere.
"So yer the one who taught those bloody thieves that giving their frends hart attacks was alrite!"
Basso was a younger man, well, younger than Artemus, but at least seven years Garrett's senior, he was surprisingly healthy, well dressed for a commoner and friendly enough.
The boxman spoke of the siblings fondly and highly of their talents, though he made sure to mention their habit of scaring him half to death every time they came by for a visit or job, and despite the boxman's obvious irritation towards the siblings, he spoke of them with the same air of annoyance Artemus would expect from a far older brother or close cousin.
The second time Artemus had reached out to the boxman was when Garrett first confessed to seeing blood on his sister's hands… Basso admitted that yes, he had given the younger woman some… Alternative jobs.
"She requested them." The boxman said, "I jus let 'er take 'em, no questions asked, jus as I would 'ave wit' anyone else."
And that was that, neither Artemus or Garrett could really fault the boxman, he was a simple black-market businessman and Erin, they were forced to remember, was a near grown woman, she could make her own decisions…
Still, the newly formed and growing rift between the two siblings was cause for enough concern that Basso as both their friend and employer, decided to intervene…