Camelot's Coming (Sir Ystin)

[John Constantine]

Bloody hell, what a find. How did something like this ever end up in a place like Keystone City? Constantine held the old, musty staff in front of him, admiring the beauty and simplicity. According to the man he'd bought it from, it was used by Merlin himself. The best part was he might be telling the truth; the thing felt magical enough.

Feeling proud of himself, John trotted down the street, the staff clicking against the pavement with each step. He felt the power coursing through him. What to do with it, though? Could always have some fun and knock some bloke in the head with it. Not magical, but hilarious. The options were endless (maybe literally so). He remembered now why he enjoyed visiting this country so much.

[Sir Ystin]

The attitude of town guard had changed noticeably over the centuries. They of course had never been particularly keen on anyone taking the law into their own hands and dealing with criminals but at least in the past they had been quite happy when you brought them a group of scum all trussed up. The past hundred years things had been changing, all the more irritating as there were ever more laws to obey. Sir Ystin liked to think of himself as a law abiding person but the police (as town guard had been styled for the past two centuries) had threatened him with the law, “Yes you brought the criminals down but you can't just go around wielding a sword like that, little Miss,” the Keystone Police Officer had said.

Oh that “little Miss” comment full condensation had done the officer no favours and Ystin rolled his eyes and left before he snapped something back in ancient Brythonic while he was certain no one could understand a word, town guards were very good at detecting when they were being insulted and it never paid to anger the local guards.

Leaving the police station Ystin still in full armour and sword slung over his back walked along the road before realising that a whoosh and a clip-clop meant Vanguard had landed behind him, “They dared to question me, my motives and my actions. I have an unimpeachable character!” Ystin said, he always got a bit a grumbly when his honour had been called into question, honour and reputation were things knights, true knights took years to build up and Sir Ystin liked to think over the course of several millennia that he had built up a reputation to be proud of.

Vanguard was used to Ystin occasionally letting off steam by now and just plodded along just offering support by being around, “To them Camelot is a myth. It means little to them now other than a source of entertainment but that is not to blame them. One day another Camelot will arise and the people will remember what the name stands for again,” the winged horse and knight in shining armour were drawing quite a lot of attention from other people on the street. Vanguard was used to that too and had learnt to ignore it over the course of centuries.

[John Constantine]

Seemed another costumed hero had made their way into Constantine's life. What did this one call themselves? Shining Knight, or something? Best not to mix up names, though. Strolling up to the warrior, he gave a pat to the horse. "Fine beast you've got there," he complimented, resting his new staff on his shoulder. "Those bobbies giving you trouble, luv?"

He had no intention of actually confronting the officers, but a bit of magic to make their pants drop, or something of the sort, seemed fitting enough. Always pays to make a fool of the police. "They call me Constantine," he spoke, hoping to confirm what he'd speculated before. Pulling out a fag with his lips, he flipped the top on his lighter and inhaled a good deal of smoke, blowing it to the side out of courtesy. Wouldn't want to offend, now would he?

[Sir Ystin]

A man approached Sir Ystin as he chatted with Vanguard. By the sounds of his accent he was English, seriously what had been wrong the word “Saxon” that they switched to that other Germanic tribe that had conquered Lloegr, the Angles? Shaking her head at a thousand year old musings, Ystin cocked an eyebrow when the man presumptuously patted Vanguard. The knight was rightfully protective of his horse but usually let Vanguard decide who could or could not pat her however being called “luv” in what seemed like a patronising manner was what got the knight irritated more.

“They call you Constantine? So what should I call you? “Luv”?” Ystin briefly looked at the cigarette that he was smoking and ignored it. The knight had tried it a couple of times through the centuries that the habit existed but neither pipes or cigarettes had taken much of his interest.

But then Ystin's attention was drawn to the staff that Constantine held in his free hand and did a double take at it. Then looked at Constantine. Then looked back at the staff unable to contain his amazement, “How did you come by this staff?” he asked as he walked around behind Constantine looking in more detail at it the staff and also preventing a possibility of Constantine trying to run away as Vanguard was blocking the other direction.

It couldn't be Merlin's staff...could it?

[John Constantine]

A spirited one, this lady was. Apparently the staff had impressed the lady. If the rumor he'd heard were true, it would make sense; the Shining Knight was supposed to be alive back in the time of Arthur, so it was no surprise she recognized the stick for what it was. He'd pretend it was simply a trinket for now, though.

"This thing?" he mused. "Just a little souvenir I picked up. Went on a museum tour not long ago and thought I'd grab a bit to remember the city at the gift shop. Hard to believe there even is a museum not dedicated to that Flash bloke." He twirled the staff in his hand, tapping the end of his shoe with it to knock off some dirt.

"Seem to be pretty taken with the thing," he continued. "Think it'll fit with your knight costume? Thought about throwing on some robes and going at the whole hero thing proper myself once or twice. Bit campy for my tastes, but to each his own." Observing the situation a bit more closely, he noticed the horse seemed to be trying to block him from the front. Merlin's staff would be a pretty popular trinket in the magical community, so it wasn't anything he hadn't planned for when he bought it. Just talk with them; he'd be able to avoid a conflict easily enough.

[Sir Ystin]

"A gift shop? At a museum?" the knight repeated Constantine's words. There was no keeping the incredulity out of Sir Ystin's voice. He could certainly believe that people would produce non-magical replicas of Merlin's staff and attempt to sell it, Ystin had witnessed street merchants a thousand years ago trying to sell scrolls and potions that they claimed Merlin had created himself. However to claim what was clearly the actual staff that Merlin had once used had been sold in a gift shop was an absurd notion.

Sir Ystin realised that Constantine was probably just joking around, playing a game of some kind. Ystin was not willing to play along, "Drop the decites and answer with the truth. How did you come by this staff? Am I to assume by your lies that you are attempting to hide away some misdeed that you committed? Would those police officers who I am so recently acquainted be interested in you?"

The threat was implied there but Sir Ystin suspected the police wouldn't be interested in Constantine, he had after all come pretty close to the police station and seemed not to be worried by its proximity.

"My armour is not campy and most certainly not a costume. Its the finest Camelotian plate and scale mail," Ystin was not entirely sure what campy meant in the context but he could tell it was nothing good, "And I am taken with the staff because of its former owner, as you full well know,"

[John Constantine]

Seemed like the jig was up, as they say (ten or twenty years ago, at least). The threats of police action didn't frighten him, though; nothing the bobbies could do to him, after all. "I really did find it in a museum. Wasn't part of the actual shop, but some wanker was trying to pass it off to any bloke who'd take it. Wailing about, 'They're coming for me! Someone take this thing!' Bloody fool, if you ask me." He lit another cigarette, since the one he'd been smoking just moments ago had already been burnt up. It did seem, however, that this person had confirmed the rumor of being a real Arthurian knight. Could be interesting to see where this went.



(Sorry for the shortness. I'm just now starting to get better and I'm having some trouble thinking of what to write.)

[Sir Ystin]

It appeared that Constantine had decided to tell the truth or at least part of it. The staff being in the museum was of no surprise to Sir Ystin, it was an ancient relic after all, it would have a place of high honour amongst any display in the world. What was confusing though was why anyone would want to give it away, anyone who knew its previous owner would know of its priceless value. Something was not quite adding up for the knight, “You took it out of a museum. Are you sure that was not theft?” Sir Ystin asked, what was more disturbing though was a person convinced something was coming in relation to the staff.

“Did the man say what was coming for him? And why were you so keen to take it if someone was so willing to give it up? Do you not think that would mean that who or whatever was after him is now going to come after you?” to some people that would not matter though, maybe Constantine had just seen a huge prize on offer for free and could not resist the chance to grab and damn the consequences. Ystin had been around too long not to think through consequences. There had been times when the knight's rash action had cost a life, once it had even been his own.

“Maybe we should investigate more about precisely what is after the staff? It might save your life,” Sir Ystin suggested the wisest course of action he could think of and made it clear that it was Constantine's life at stake if this turned out to be life threatening situation. He hoped that by reminding Constantine of this it might get him to think a little, plus the knight wasn't going to let this man out of his sight, not while there was Merlin's staff.

[John Constantine]

He grinned. "Theft of not, wasn't me doing the stealing. Now it's just a fancy walking cane. I'm a proper Brit, after all." As he said the last part, the staff began glowing. He used his magic to transform it into a less conspicuous appearance, that of a black cane with a curved handle at the top. The staff was unaffected, of course; only the appearance had changed, as so often happened with old artifacts like it.

The idea of taking on the man's pursuers had crossed his mind. Even so, it's not like he hadn't had the same thing happen over a hundred times before. Another doomsday cult trying to get magic crap together for some vague plan, or maybe a "liberator" who thought a piece of history like the staff was too good for mere mortals. Whatever those tossers had planned, he couldn't be arsed to care.

"Haven't the foggiest as to who'd be after the bloke. If I had to guess, my bet would be Faust. Heard he was up to something lately." A police car pulled out from the station they'd passed earlier, heading down the street and around a corner. Constantine noticed and had a feeling that it was from where he'd just come. "I'd bet money they're going to the bloody museum," he sighed. It seemed like investigation might be the best plan right now. "Guess we don't have much choice now. Let's see what's happened him."

[Sir Ystin]

“A proper Brit? One from the wrong side of Offa's Dyke and the Tamar maybe,” said Sir Ystin, the dyke marked the boundary between the Welsh and English during the reign of King Offa of Mercia, and the River Tamar had been declared to be the boundary between Cornwall and England by King Athelstan of England in the 10th Century. Ystin was not bitter about the Celtic peoples being pushed to the fringes of their country but still it was good to tease the English occasionally.

“We both know that cane is not going to be just a fancy walking cane. It is far more valuable and powerful than that, I do not believe you would have gotten it to hobble about on,” Sir Ystin would much rather have this artefact in his possession than leave it with this man who she simply did not trust. Ystin could potentially try to track down Merlin and give him the staff, it would be safe with him, at least until he lost it again.

The police car rolled passed and Constantine suggested it would be going to the museum, “If that person who gave you the staff has been attacked then maybe he told his assailants who he gave the staff to? In which case they are now looking for you. You have marked yourself out to be a target because you have the staff,” Sir Ystin stated this matter of factly. It seemed that Constantine was going to be forced into behaving himself for now at least. Sir Ystin was also not going to let the staff out of her sight and he was interested in who would be after it, “Who is this Faust anyway? Is he some kind of wizard?”

Ystin mounted up on Vanguard, “Lets get going to the museum then. Travelling by pegasus is quicker than walking,”