I can't stay away [SOLBY AU]

[1] Without Winter Coats

I am constantly editing and revisiting! :^ ENJOYYY!

COLBY

Colby doesn't mind the cold on winter nights, especially now that he's a vampire. An undead creature of the night. He can enjoy the crisp in the air without the frostbite nipping at his lips or the constant chill running down his arms.
His sensitive nose thanks him for it, it does wonders to clear his mind. His body is overrun with satisfying chills as he sucks in a sharp-slow breath. He stands before the stanley hotel, located in Estes Park. The images surrounding his memories flash before his eyes.

He's close friends with Flora. When she was flesh and bone their friendship surpassed even death. Now she's the spirit haunting this place with her signature scent. Colby still complements her in private for the nice smell wafting in the lobby. Back than, their conversations barely lasted.

A young bachelor was corralled by the gentlemen hustling to settle down in a private room inside the hotel for an evening of jaunting and smoking. Hanging by the mistress of the house was unlikely to be told with a happy ending.

The vampire never likes parties.. when he was a young-boy, parties were just large feasts thrown by earls'. ..he's less likely to be invited to something these days. His coven participates in an annual ball, whilst the community of supernatural heads' gather their sobrieties together in one room for a.. very, quiet dinner. Colby's body reacts on impulse just thinking about it. He went last time — that was when he first found out the supernatural existed. The coven must've doubled in size since then.

He avoided his coven for a long time and met friends long-since passed. Colby laughs when he's brought back to the Stanley hotel. He always weaseled his way out of talking about the latest inventions or selling goods hot on the market in the mid-west at the time. He chose to walk with Flora on cool evenings after he gained her husband's trust through connections, and — when Mr.Stanley caught Colby snogging his latest infatuation at the time.

He pulls the dark denim jacket closer to his body before making his way up the steps. He finished his walk five minutes ago. The sun is finally setting, and his belongings are in his room 401. Sometimes he chats with Flora, but often she is chased off by Lucy, whom hangs around Flora's famous white gown. Her husband is never in sight. Colby's ability to see ghosts never fails him, but some ghosts less inclined to tether themselves to objects or places tend to show up less.

Oscar will only greet him with a nod by the staircase and then the visage dwindles into nothingness.

The vampire rubs a tired hand on his aching jaw. His body sings to him from staying up during the day. He's not used to it despite his origins. He'd sail since he was a babe, his móãir always kept him by her side. His body can't help but grow wary beneath the suns morning & afternoon rays in his current state. How strange, for a vampire to shrivel up under the sun.

He grabs his phone from his pocket and checks the time. Previously he used to carry a watch on him, but the heavy necklaces around his neck, colored nails and decorated fingers in chunky silver rings do not tie well with outdated watches.

The front desk is crowded as Colby quietly enters the hotel. It's late into the month, and the weather plans to escalate overnight. As he comes to a slow stop, the woman behind the desk stops what she's doing to greet him. Colby offers a faint smile before nervously shifting his gaze from the group of teens watching the distant exchange.

Colby feels his hands start to shake as the atmosphere becomes uniquely acute.. for him. He tries not to converse with humans but he's not opposed to it. He actually likes to despite his necessary diet. What makes his skin feel unlike himself is the human with the light blue eyes. Ishmael? Impossible, I saw him die.. Lucy clings to the same — very much human — not Ishmael. Colby can't help the sharp jerk of his chin. Lucy purses her lips in defiance. Brat. The key in his grasp disappears in his tightening grip.