If you want to fall in a dream | Camila

[Deleted]

now can these broken wings free me

about a light-year from reality

October 2025
camila calderón

It was a crisp October day, and Layla decided to adventure in Horizont Alley. The year had been an interesting one. She wasn’t one to travel much as it required funds that she didn’t have, but there was also Hag’s Fever closing the borders for now. She hummed to herself as she walked, glancing at the establishments that were located here. Layla didn’t have a particular destination in mind, but she’d been playing almost non-stop for the past seven days in a burse of creative muse and to the point where even the calluses on her fingers hurt from the guitar strings. But she always took advantage of it when that happened. It was when tidbits of what might be songs one day occurred, and she tried to add them to her notebook. Layla entered the Sweets Shop. While she hadn’t been hungry, the site of cauldron cakes was enough to make her hungry regardless.

Exiting the shop with half a cauldron cake already in her mouth, she almost collided with someone. Her eyes went wide in surprise but also a bit of embarrassment for not having been watching where she was going. ”Oh! I’m sorry.” She swallowed the pastry that had been in her mouth and looked at whom she had almost knocked over. ”Camila! Hi!” Layla exclaimed. They were newer friends, but the musical circle contained various personalities, and Layla had become acquainted. It had also been nice to befriend another female in this scene as thus far, the only other female had been her manager. And as much as she enjoyed her time with Emrys or even bother Levi until he finally laughed or chatting with Lance, she needed more female friends. ”How are you? It's been a while.”

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[camila calderón]

October 2025

Though the majority of her tour had been ruined by her own illness and the closure of the British Isles to the rest of the world because of Hag's Fever, Camila had long since gotten over the devastation of that. Of course, she was eager to be back on tour when she could do that, but the situation was completely out of her hands. It would have been a lot worse if she were stuck with no way of getting back to London, though, because that was where she was based at that moment. Aside from the border issues and a few hiccups with paperwork, it could have been much worse. She was able to keep working, and everything was relatively normal in that respect.

Camila was out in Horizont Alley, fortunately or unfortunately without her usual cadre of security guards. It meant that she was having to stop every few minutes to sign autographs or pose for photographs, but it could have been worse. It was just fans, and not the hordes she encountered when school wasn't in session; plus, she didn't have any paparazzi trailing her, either. In all, it was fairly nice. She wasn't being bothered, and she was just walking along when she nearly ran into someone else.

"Oh!" she heard the girl exclaim suddenly. "I'm sorry."

At that point, Camila realized that it was none other than Layla Hendricks. She was a fellow musician, one of the two guitarists for the band Bête Noire. Although some people liked to claim that bands weren't around anymore, Camila knew that that was far from the truth. Bête Noire might not have been as successful as, say, the Weird Sisters, but it wasn't just a solo artist's world.

"Camila! Hi!" Layla exclaimed, having seemingly made the same realization at about the same time. "How are you? It's been a while."

"Layla!" Camila beamed at her. Though Layla was slightly older than she, it was always nice to run into other women in the music industry. It must have been tiring for Layla, too, to be in a band with so many guys. It was definitely more of the stereotypical rockstar life that the members of Bête Noire seemed to be living, but Layla struck Camila as being less inclined towards certain vices in comparison to some of her bandmates. "I am very well," she said in response to Layla's question. "And you?"

@layla

[Deleted]

now can these broken wings free me

about a light-year from reality

October 2025
camila calderón

Camila seemed just as surprised but also happy to see her. She was a genuinely nice girl, though on the quieter side. Which was a remarkable difference from Layla’s own personality. But, the girls had to stick together when most of her colleagues were men, and Layla was well aware of the small effect her quarter veela heritage had on them. ”I’m well, I was taking a break from writing.” She smiled in return as she moved a few steps, so they weren’t blocking the doorway anymore. In Layla’s mind, it was always a pleasant and welcome surprise to run into a friend when she was out and about—she enjoyed the social interactions.

Layla noted that Camila was by herself, and with her popularity and the demand for her shows this past year, it was a bit of a surprise. ”Did you escape your bodyguards?” She laughed. It reminded her of the employees from the label that watched Emrys like a hawk for his tendency to cause trouble or find it somehow. However, maybe Camila’s label handled things differently. Layla had never seen her as the type to find trouble on purpose, but fame always had an interesting effect.

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[camila calderón]

October 2025

Layla answered her that she was well and said that she had been taking a break from writing. Camila assumed that, by "writing", Layla meant songwriting more specifically, though she didn't remain on the subject long enough for Camila to ask her about it at that moment in time. Instead, Layla laughed and questioned, "Did you escape your bodyguards?"

While that might have been a legitimate concern for someone like Emrys, that wasn't typically something that Camila had to worry about. She tended to go around Muggle London without a security presence around her, though it was certainly less common to see her without at least one person whose job it was to ensure her safety while she was in more densely magical areas. Camila didn't resent it entirely; she understood that it was necessary because she was famous. Not really seeing herself as the pop idol that other people saw when they looked at her made it a challenge sometimes, but she wouldn't have gone off and escaped from her security team. That would have been asking for trouble, and Camila would have been mortified at the very idea of some public search for her.

"No, no…" Camila shook her head. She had to laugh at Layla's joke, though, because it was kind of a funny thought. Her security team worked for her, but she also tried to remain considerate of them. Because they were responsible for her safety, she didn't think that that was a bad idea. Did she want to spend all day, every day with them around her? Not particularly; she liked her privacy, but that was also why she had made an agreement with her manager that she could use Polyjuice Potion on occasion. "You are surprised?" she asked.

Just being herself in public without security around was a little bit strange; it was even stranger, in a way, to be having a regular conversation with another celebrity on the street, though Camila had to question how long it would be before people started approaching them for autographs and photos. It didn't really matter, as long as people were polite about it.

@layla

[Deleted]

now can these broken wings free me

about a light-year from reality

October 2025
camila calderón

Even Layla didn’t need bodyguards, though she always imagined what kind of famous person she might be like. She would love to interact with her fans, sign autographs, and all the things she saw Emrys do at times until he was pulled away. Without the fans in this business, what foundation did they have to stand on? But even someone like Layla enjoyed her time to herself and being able to do things like a peaceful walk through Horizont Alley without being bothered. She could observe her environment, get some sun and fresh air, and find inspiration in the things around her. ”A little.” Layla admitted. ”Or maybe I’m just used to Emrys and the trouble that seems to follow him.” She mused outloud. Still, he was her friend and occasionally more than that.

”So are you working on anything new?” Layla asked. Their styles of music were different, but it didn’t mean that she didn’t like it. In fact, she felt it was important to support fellow artists—though Camila was under a different label, it didn’t mean they couldn’t be friends. ”Do you mind if I walk with you?” She asked eagerly, though if Camila had plans, she wouldn’t have wanted to interrupt them. Sometimes she was a bit too eager for her own good in her sociable way.

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[camila calderón]

October 2025

Although Camila couldn't imagine what the dynamics were really like among the band members of Bête Noire, she had to admit that the thought of being in a band without being its main focal point was sort of a draw. She had no plans to quit her career as it was, and the usual trajectory in music seemed to be leaving a band and then going solo—not the other way around. Emrys, on the other hand, had both the music that he put out as a solo artist and his work with Bête Noire. Camila could imagine that even less.

"So are you working on anything new?" Layla asked of her.

Camila did and nodded, though she didn't want to give everything away. She had no way of knowing who was also within earshot. "I have some songs in progress," she shared, however, because that was hardly spoiling anything.

"Do you mind if I walk with you?"

Again, Camila nodded her head. "Okay," she agreed. As long as Layla didn't mind the thought of being stopped by fans once people realized that they were walking around together, there was no problem there. She had female friends—well, Sienna and a handful of young woman whom she had met through her—in Britain but no one else in the industry but Layla.

"Work is good?" she checked, hoping that everything was good there. Even with the fact that Bête Noire's sound was so incredibly different from her own, Camila had nothing against it or the band. She had gotten her start because of a cover of a song by the Weird Sisters, after all, and didn't mind the thought of collaborating with Bête Noire on something at some point.

@layla

[Deleted]

now can these broken wings free me

about a light-year from reality

October 2025
camila calderón

There weren’t many female musicians in their line of work. That wasn’t to say that there wasn’t any, but the ratio was definitely unbalanced. Even looking at Bête Noire—Layla was the only female member. She supposed being near the front of the stage and playing guitar was a sort of focal point in itself, and she supposed her veela heritage didn’t hurt. Camila didn’t elaborate on her work, and Layla didn’t push. With such a competitive field, she didn’t want her friend to feel threatened in any way. Songs had been stolen in the past, and it was the nature of the industry.

”Yes! We’ve had a few small shows, which is a nice start.” They weren’t playing the stadiums Camila was playing, but there was hope for one day. ”It kind of helps that Emrys has a fan base already.” It had been an interesting move for him. Going from a solo artist and a sole front man to playing drums, one did not question the creative process and muse. Layla was sort of glad for that since, as a frontman, he could have quickly taken over the band’s image and left herself, Lance and Levi as supporting players when a band wasn’t supposed to be like that in her mind. It was a team. As she thought through it all, she also suddenly had a thought. ”You know what would be fun? Collaboration—we should totally work together sometime.” Layla suggested with a happy smile on her face. In the end, music was supposed to be fun, and even if they were just jamming, she’d take it.

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[camila calderón]

October 2025

Layla confirmed that work had been going well for her, though Camila personally couldn't imagine what it must have been like to be around the guys in Bête Noire all day. She added that they had been playing some small shows, though Camila assumed that that was probably only relative to the fact that she was at the point in her own career where she was selling out entire Quidditch stadiums full of fans. "It kind of helps that Emrys has a fan base already," continued Layla.

Although Camila nodded in response, she wasn't sure if all of that was a "fan base", per se, but that was one way of putting it—and probably the more polite way. Regardless of why people were drawn to Emrys, though, Camila didn't doubt that listeners would start gravitating towards Bëte Noire's sound on its own merits, too. The band's music was good, and they were selling themselves short if they were going to remain satisfied with being known only for being Emrys's band.

"You know what would be fun?" Layla asked her all of a sudden. Camila was interested in knowing what had just come to her mind. "Collaboration," came her answer, a clear smile upon Layla's face. "We should totally work together sometime."

Whether Layla was thinking of collaborating just with her as an individual or getting the whole band involved, Camila was interested and had immediately smiled at the mention of a collaboration. "Yes!" she agreed. "We should do it." It would probably be easiest to have her people talk to their people from the business standpoint of it all before they got too far ahead of themselves, but that didn't mean that they couldn't talk it over.

@layla

[Deleted]

now can these broken wings free me

about a light-year from reality

October 2025
camila calderón

Layla wasn’t naïve to think that her own heritage would attract people to the group as much as Emrys’ fans would follow him. But she never thought much of it. Being only a quarter veela was hardly the same as her grandmother's effect on people. But it did help the band, she supposed. They weren’t on the same level as Camila, but she had no doubt they might one day. The quietness of their minimal fame was comfortable, and even moments like this, Layla appreciated that she could go for a walk relatively unbothered.

Camila was open to the idea of working together, and Layla was glad. For being such a celebrity, she found that Camila was very nice and even on the quieter side but humble all the same. There had been others that Layla had bumped into, including Emrys that had a very high opinion of themselves, and she wondered what it was like to walk around with a head so big. ”We can just start playing whatever comes to mind and going with it.” She mused out loud before pausing, wondering what Charlotta would think of such a thing. ”I mean—we’re allowed to jam unofficially, right?”

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[camila calderón]

October 2025

"We can just start playing whatever comes to mind and going with it," Layla told her. That sounded reasonable enough, and obviously there would be no pressure. They weren't doing it to write anything that they were going to release, though that didn't mean that they couldn't do that—provided that they went through the right channels. Music for the sake of music was always a good thing in Camila's book, and she liked Layla from what she knew of her. It would be fun. Layla sounded hesitant all of a sudden, though, and checked with her that they were "allowed to jam unofficially".

Camila almost wanted to laugh, but she didn't because she could hear that Layla was serious. There wasn't anything in her contract with her label that meant that she couldn't hang out with other musicians in her free time. If they wanted to release anything, that would be where the legal bits and pieces would have to be worked out. But just hanging out and making music together? Of course they could do that!

She relaxed her facial expression somewhat, making sure that Layla understood that it was totally okay without making her feel silly for not having known that that was totally permissible. "Of course. It is not a problem for me," Camila said in reassurance. It wasn't because of her contractual agreements that she didn't tend to hang out with other famous people as often as maybe people would have expected. She just didn't enjoy the hard partying that was supposed to be such a staple of the life she led. "Do you have my phone number?" she then checked. They could make plans with each other more easily that way.

@layla

[Deleted]

now can these broken wings free me

about a light-year from reality

October 2025
camila calderón

Layla smiled. ”Great!” The more she stayed in this industry and pursued her dream career, the more like minds she met, and while the legal stuff bored Layla, she enjoyed making music for fun—even if it was never going to appear on an album or be played at a show. There was that naïve part of her that never wanted to just be an assembly line for making music. Where she just stood there and played the guitar because the song required it. Music required passion and energy, and it was really quite boring without it. It seemed that Camila thought the same.

”No, I don’t think I do.” Layla stuffed the small bag she was carrying under her arm and scooted a little closer to Camila while she scrolled to double-check her contacts and then clicked to add a new one. With the new contact page, open Layla handed her phone to Camila. ”I’m sure Lance would be interested too.” She added, thinking of the band’s bassist. Levi was less social, and Emrys was…distracted most of the time.

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[camila calderón]

October 2025

Layla sounded glad that they could just hang out and make music with one another like normal people. Camila hated to think that it would be something that she'd have to carve out time to do something like that, but she would make sure that nothing else got in the way. It was hard to live a life that was anything like the one she had had before she had become famous, but having other people around her who understood what it was like to have the kind of life and career that she did made it much easier.

Telling her that she didn't think that she had her phone number already, Layla got out her mobile phone, looked at it—probably to check her list of contacts, guessed Camila—and handed it over to her with the fields open to add her contact information. "I'm sure Lance would be interested too," Layla added, mentioning one of her bandmates.

As Camila was adding her phone number into Layla's contacts, she nodded her head in response to what Layla had said about Lance. "You can give him my phone number," Camila told Layla. She didn't mind if Layla wanted to share it with him so that they could coordinate something if he wanted to join in.

@layla