Dance Monkey (Emrys)

[camila calderón]

Early November 2025

With plans to return home to Argentina for a visit for the first time since she had arrived in London about a year before, Camila was ecstatic. It was a good thing that she was normally a bubbly person, because she didn't want the media to start speculating about why she was so happy. She wanted her privacy back home, especially because she would be there for her birthday; she didn't want to advertise that she was going anywhere and risk having paparazzi around. No, she would post about it on Vibe once she returned, and her fans would be just as happy for her.

Camila had been trying not to make use of her supply of Polyjuice Potion unless it was absolutely necessary. She also hadn't been trying to allow the public to catch on to what she was doing with that, though she had enjoyed attending Zombie Island. Having the occasional taste of a "normal" life was fun, even if she didn't look like herself while doing it.

She did enjoy her normal life, even if it was busier and busier as she and her team planned to make up for all of her cancelled tour dates from the summer. It wasn't too bad; she wasn't in rehearsals constantly yet again, though her July concert had gone much better than she had expected for having been ill so recently before then.

That morning's schedule had been packed for her already, with a Witch TV interview completed on their morning show. It had been enjoyable, though Camila wasn't much of a fan of live interviews in English. She was always terrified of messing up in front of everyone—and the thought that that would be broadcast to countless viewers was a little intimidating. Luckily, she hadn't messed up, and she had enough time afterwards to stop by the bakery in Diagon Alley for something to eat. There had been ample craft services at Witch TV, but she—number one—had been on camera and hadn't wanted to ruin her makeup and—number two—hadn't really had the time to eat, regardless.

At least the bakery was good, and it smelled like fresh pastries from the moment she stepped inside—hardly inconspicuously, with a security guard still beside her. What made it slightly more interesting was that she recognized the young man in the queue just ahead of her: Emrys Holopainen, the drummer for the band Bête Noire. Camila smiled a little at the coincidence, but she didn't want to bother him unnecessarily. It was probably enough of a rarity to get two celebrities in the bakery in a row; she didn't want to call attention to it unless he noticed her.

@emrys

[Deleted]

There wasn't a better way to spend the night than in the VIP section of Club Indigo. Emrys had a few - lets call them friends - who regularly went there. He drank, and laughed, even danced with some very tempting prospects. He partied long and heard. He finally left the club with two scandally dressed women, one on each arm. The three staggered off into the night. It payed to be famous. Emrys awoke to the sun peaking into the strange room. He blinked his eyes to adjust to the light, grabbing his wand and magically moving all window coverings to block as much light as they could. He moaned, wiping blood off his cheek. He spotted the two lovely ladies sharing the bed with him, one on either side. He maneuvered himself off the bed and looked at the mess they had made. He always made a habit of keeping his wand close for when he stayed late at someone's place, but it was time for him to be heading out. Now, where were his pants?

After dressing, he snuck out without a single word. Stealth was a skill. He hadn't intended to stay the night, but alcohol along with blood, also including a high blood alcohol content, lead to some interesting things. Slipping on his sunglasses and hood, he stepped into the overcast day.

Mornings weren't his thing. Emrys was a child of the night, mornings were for sleeping. But he couldn't just stay there. He could have apparated strait into his bed, but he yearned for sweets. He could have gone to any old bakery, but in his opinion, sweet shops run by wizards were more likely to have items more attuned to his taste bunds. So, he made his way to Diagon Alley.

He walked into Alderton's Bakery and Sweets, giving a slight curse. This was why he hated mornings. Lines! Lines were the worst. But he was dying for some sugar. So he got in line. Sunglasses still on, he moved his hood off. He wasn't sure if anyone would recognize him, but at this point he didn't really care. As things moved forward, he could feel the presence of others behind him. After thinking over what he would get, he started to get board. Curiosity finally took him, he had to find something entertaining. Luck finally hit when he glanced behind him to see someone he recognized. "Camila Calderon?" He asked, already knowing the answer. Emrys gave a grin, showing his prominent fangs. Who would have thought...

camila calderón

[camila calderón]

Early November 2025

His fangs on full display, Emrys gave her a grin in response, asking her name. It wasn't out of vanity that Camila knew that there wasn't much chance of mistaking her for someone else; it was just how things were, being a celebrity.

"Hi," she smiled back at Emrys brightly. "How are you?" She didn't see him as often as she saw some of the other musicians in the industry, probably because of his vampirism. Going out in the daylight freely wasn't as much of an option for him, she supposed, and she wasn't one to stay out very late unnecessarily. She didn't really drink and preferred not to go clubbing if she could avoid it. That had seemed to her to be more to Emrys's liking, though she wondered how much there really was to do at night besides that.

@emrys

[Deleted]

Camila wasn't someone he saw regularly, but there wasn't a large number of celebrities in the magical world, so it seemed as thou they all knew each other. At least in this area. He didn't know too much about her, and their paths rarely crossed. They seemed to be total opposites. He spent most of his time out in the evening and night hours, when not working he went to parties and clubs. He also spent a large amount of time with unique and beautiful people that he fully intended never to see again. And Camila, at least in Emrys' mind, was boring. She didn't do any of that. When did she have fun?

She asked how he was, and his grin remained. "Doing great, living life." He gave an effortless shrug "Haven't seen you around much. Maybe we should fix that." He said, giving a suggestive look and wink.

camila calderón

[camila calderón]

Early November 2025

“Doing great,” Emrys replied—still grinning—as she asked him how he was. “Living life.” That was good, thought Camila, but Emrys gave her a shrug. That wasn’t all, though, as he added, “Haven't seen you around much. Maybe we should fix that,” gave her a flirtatious look, and winked at her.

“Yes, of course,” Camila agreed, the smile on her face still present but more stiff. He should have known that she didn’t really involve herself in that side of the music industry. Even the side of it that wasn’t illegal—even just alcohol and getting drunk and that sort of thing—wasn’t really to her liking. She wasn’t someone who could function nocturnally, either, which did limit how much she saw of him. The thought of going to a club and partying and going wild wasn’t much of a draw for her; if anything, she was turned off by it. She imagined that she could have had a good time, in theory; being famous meant that people were willing to do even the most ridiculous things to please her.

Camila also knew that she wasn’t going to show her discomfort in public—not only to avoid offending Emrys but also because of the chance that someone would take that and stick it in a tabloid and speculate over it until it had been twisted into something completely different other than what it really had been. “It is… early for you, no?” she questioned. Emrys also wasn’t typically around during the day, in her experience.

@emrys

[Deleted]

His fanged smile broadened as she agreed wit him. From what he knew of the woman, she didn't live a party type lifestyle that he did. Which put her in the boring category. But maybe she could turn out to be fun after all. In Emrys' opinion, if you didn't have your manager mad about something, you weren't doing it right. He loved his manager, she was more like a mother to him as of late, but that didn't mean that he was going to stop being himself.

“It is… early for you, no?” She had caught on quick. He was the exact opposite of a morning person. He usually went to sleep around sunrise, and slept until the evening hours. He gave a shrug "I was out late, and decided to stop by for a quick bite before heading back home." Where he would eat cake and sleep. Emrys had a good life. "So what have you been up to lately?"

camila calderón

[camila calderón]

Early November 2025

For a celebrity, Camila did maintain a relatively quiet life. She didn't go out partying, nor did she trash hotel rooms or anything else that people always said that celebrities went and did when they hit a certain level of fame. Publicity stunts and vices weren't a part of her public image, and Camila—even beyond the spotlight—couldn't see herself getting involved with any of that. She preferred to stay relatively quiet, keep in line with the image that the public already had of her, and go about her life with as few issues as she could.

Emrys, though, shrugged when she mentioned how early it was for him. "I was out late," he told her, which was hardly a surprise to Camila, "and decided to stop by for a quick bite before heading back home." It was, funnily, similar enough to what she was doing there, though her day was only getting started. "So what have you been up to lately?"

"I had an interview for Witch TV," she answered him, smiling as she explained from where she had come. It hadn't been anything groundbreaking, but they had wanted her on the air. It had made for a very early morning for her, though, to make sure that she could get to the studio in plenty of time for hair and makeup. "They had food, but…" Camila shrugged. It wasn't that the food selection on offer to her had been bad, and she probably could have sent someone off to find something in specific if she'd really wanted it. "The lipstick and…" On live television, any crumbs around her mouth or anything stuck in her teeth would have been painfully obvious to anyone watching.

@emrys

[Deleted]

Emrys had a reputation. He had excellent music, but he was known to have fun. He partied hard, and was known to indulge himself in a debauched lifestyle. He, unlike the woman before him, was not quiet, and loved to indulge himself with whatever he craved at the moment, his manager was there to clean things up if need be.

While the two were indeed celebrities, they each had a different out look. While Emrys enjoyed a good conversation, he found her all together quite boring. She mentioned having an interview, and he figured that it was very different to times when he was interviewed. He was always prepped thoroughly as to what he can and cannot say. Along with a long list of things that if did say, he would find himself murdered by the woman he called manager. He nodded as she continued, appearance was important, esspecially when appearing on a show. It took plenty of time to "make one up" and the girl was polite enough not to want to ruin any of it. "Hope the interview went well at least." He said as the line moved up.

camila calderón

[camila calderón]

Early November 2025

Camila felt that life would have been so much easier for her if she were as fluent in English as in Spanish or even Portuguese. It would have made her everyday interactions with people so much easier, and not to mention working in London. There was an element of spontaneity that she missed because of the language barrier. If what she planned on saying wasn't scripted in advance, it sometimes took her a little while longer to understand exactly what was being said to her. She knew that other people knew that she wasn't fluent in English; obviously, that helped in a way, yet it also made it a challenge. She knew that asking for clarifications constantly would just annoy people, even if most people would be too polite to admit that to her face.

Fortunately, though, Emrys's comment wasn't so complicated that Camila had any difficulty understanding it. He simply said that he hoped that the interview had gone well.

"Yes," she nodded to him, noticing that the queue in which they were standing had shortened a little bit. "It was good. To be on television, it is different for me," she smiled. It was different from being on a stage, and—because it had been postponed once before—it felt like she had been talking about her Superstar tour forever. She couldn't see herself becoming an actress at all; it wasn't her thing, but who knew?

@emrys

[Deleted]

Emrys knew that English wasn't the woman's first language. He had grown up learning and hearing Finnish, Dutch and English, so he didn't have too much of a problem, but there was a part of him that could empathies. He mostly struggled with language translation when he worked on translating his songs. It could become quite a process.

The woman mentioned that it was good and different, being on television. The vampire shrugged and chuckled. "Least you don't have you manager breathing down your neck, ready to strike at the slightest misstep." He smiled and winked at the woman. His aunt and manager would kill him if he said or mentioned certain things on live television. He was always given a healthy list of topics to avoid. "But I'm always up for a private interview." He suggested, leaning a little closer to the woman.

[camila calderón]

Early November 2025

Emrys told her that at least she didn't have her manager breathing down her neck, which Camila supposed was partly true. Germán was strict with her about some things, and he could be all business at times. As difficult as it was for her to fully understand his thought processes, and although she didn't always agree with him, she knew that she wouldn't have been able to navigate a large part of her career without him. He was a large part of the reason why she had made it to superstardom, and she wouldn't have been in Britain otherwise.

Camila didn't have to worry as much about getting into trouble with Germán as she assumed that Emrys did with his manager, though. Any coaching that she received wasn't about her behavior or the risk that she would act like a diva; it was mostly just ensuring that she didn't slip up accidentally in some way or another.

"But I'm always up for a private interview," Emrys then reminded Camila, inching a bit closer to her.

Given the difference in the schedules that they usually kept, there wasn't much point in mentioning that they should do lunch, which would have been the more typical thing to do, Camila supposed. That left the option of dinner, possibly—because she was used to eating dinner far later than was typical in Britain—or potentially something else, though Camila couldn't picture herself staying out very late for much longer than midnight or so. She still needed her sleep, after all; she couldn't function without it, and being nocturnal wasn't really an option for her.

Still, not wanting to come across as rude, Camila nodded her head. "Yes," she answered, trying to maintain a balance in terms of her response. She didn't want to seem too eager to spend time with him one-on-one and give him the wrong idea, but he also wasn't the worst person with whom she could spend time. "We should meet sometimes," she said. "For coffee, or…"

@emrys

[Deleted]

Charlotta was a great manager. But she constantly nagged at him. She kept things moving, but it was such a drag when she spoiled his fun. It almost seemed like the woman was looking for reasons to complain about him. He was just trying to live his best life, but she was constantly trying to ground him. But as much as he complained, he knew that it was good, to a point. Though he would never tell her that.

He mentioned them having a private interview with her, or rather flirted it. Though she did what was most wise if you didn't want anything to move further. Though she did agree to it, Emrys felt like he knew the woman well enough to know that they had different ideas of what they were talking about. This was proven true when she mentioned meeting up "for coffee" which seemed solely for people getting to know each other. Though more could happen. The vampire smiled at her. "Sounds great."

It had seemed as though the line did in fact continue to move up, and in such a short time, Emrys was up front. He ordered a sweet drink and cake, both to go. He had spent too much time this morning out as it was.

camila calderón

[camila calderón]

Early November 2025

Though Camila knew what Emrys had been hinting at with his suggestion that they have a private interview with one another, she was able to use the language barrier that she had to her advantage. He did agree to coffee, though, and Camila felt that that would stay relatively safe. She could always bring security with her then "just in case", she thought, to act as a deterrent against anything that Emrys might want to do. Camila didn't really want to be fed upon by Emrys, nor did she want to do anything with him that wasn't platonic.

Shortly, the queue moved forward, and Emrys was at the front. He ordered a drink and cake to go, though it was understandable to Camila that he probably didn't want to linger, considering the time of day. (Well, there was that and the fact that being famous made it hard to just sit down somewhere and enjoy something as simple as a coffee and a pastry. Even something that "normal" got drawn out much longer by fan encounters and the like.)

When it came her turn to order, Camila ordered a coffee for herself and a croissant for takeaway and moved aside once she had paid so that she could wait for what she'd just purchased. "It is good to see you," she nodded to Emrys, assuming that they would be parting ways shortly.

@emrys
OOC: We can end this one here, or you can do one more to wrap it up?