Hideous (Andley)

Foul

"So... How exactly did a past inmate end up head of company?" Andy muttered as he gazed out the car window. Ashley chuckled dryly under his breath.

"He played the system, which is corrupted enough as it is. How else?" He glanced at Andy out of the corner of his eyes. Ashley looked away and heaved a heavy sigh. "The man was a criminal- is a criminal. He's clever. He managed to act innocent enough to get let out early, so it's not a surprise to me that he wormed his way to the top so quickly. But... This has all got me wondering..." He trailed off, licking his chapped lips in thought.

Andy shifted his head to look at him, resting his temple on fist that was propped against the window. "Wondering what?"
"I thought he just wanted to get a shot at robbing a bunch of people and getting rich, y'know?" Ashley shrugged. "But this whole vampire thing- what does he want to do with all of this? How does he even know?"

Andy shrugged in response and looked out ahead. "I guess we'll find out. We're nearly there." He pointed to the GPS that was propped up on the dashboard.

Ashley nodded and glanced at the small rectangular screen, which displayed a maze of roads and colors to indicate various things such as traffic and road construction. There was a small red pin on the side of the screen, showing their destination. Almost on cue, the GPS spoke its typical 'Your Destination Is On the Right' and Ashley followed, turning off the main road.

He pulled into the fairly large parking lot of the main tax firm headquarter building and found a parking spot not too far off from the entrance.

When they entered, the first thing Andy noticed was the gag-worthy scent of perfume that hit him like a wall. The smell itself was fine- it was the amount that got him. The secretary clearly didn't understand the phrase 'a little goes a long way.' 

The secretary glanced up from her computer and looked between Andy and Ashley. "Good afternoon. What can I do for you gentlemen?" She asked politely. Andy looked at Ashley, nodding to him.
Ashley stepped forward to the desk. "We'd like to speak with Jared Tyson, please." He requested. The secretary furrowed her brows and looked to her computer screen. Andy heard the few clicks of her mouse and keyboard before she spoke again.
"And your names are...?"
"Ashley Purdy and-" He stopped. Andy's name was making headlines, he need a fake one.

"Dennis." Andy stepped forward, despite the fact he wanted nothing more than to get away from the horrid perfume. "Dennis Wayne."
Ashley had suppress a small laugh as the secretary entered the names and shook her head.

"I'm sorry, but there are no appointments under those names. If you'd like, I can check when Mr. Tyson's next appointment opening is." She smiled. Ashley sighed and nodded.
"Yeah, please." He said.

She nodded and continued to go through things on her computer as she looked up Jared's schedule. In the meantime, Andy wandered back over to the door, cracking it open and inhaling the outdoor air.

Ashley looked over his shoulder. "Are you okay?"
Andy looked over at him, grimacing. "Are you? How can you stand to be so close to that nasty ass perfume?" 
"Uh... What perfume?" Ashley blinked.

The secretary stopped typing almost immediately, stopping Andy from responding. "Oh! You're in luck! Mr. Tyson's 2'o'clock appointment just canceled!" She beamed. "I apologize for the inconvenience. You can take a seat right over there, and-"

"Nonsense! I can take the two of them to my office right now!" A man announced as he appeared around the corner, a cheerful grin upon his face. "Right this way, gentlemen!" He gestured. Ashley raised an eyebrow and lead Andy down the hallway, with Jared already half-way down the hall. He stopped at the office at the very end and opened the door for them.

Jared shut the door behind himself and walked over to his desk.
"So what can I do for you today?" He asked.

Ashley looked over at Andy, and Andy at Ashley. Andy pursed his lips and folded his arms over his chest.

"Mr. Tyson-"
"Please! Call me Jared!" Jared laughed.
Andy raised an eyebrow. "Right... Jared, we're here to follow up on a few leads regarding a... um, case we've been working on."
Jared leaned back on the front edge of his desk. "A case, hm? Perhaps I could be of some help, but first I'd need to know the details regarding this case of yours."

Ashley sat down in one of the chairs. "We'd just like to ask you a few questions."
"Ask away." Jared mused.

"Have you ever heard of a place called Venom Tavern?" Andy asked, narrowing his eyes a bit.

Jared grinned a bit. "I have, yes. Why?"
Andy stepped closer. "Where were you on December 29th of last year?"
Jared tilted his head. "I don't believe I follow. That was quite a while ago."
"Answer the question." Andy hissed. "Were you at Venom Tavern on December 29th?"

Jared didn't answer the question. Not directly, that is. He looked at Ashley, who glared back at him awaiting his answer. Jared lifted a hand in Ashley's direction. "Sleep." He said gently, and without any further action, Ashley's chin fell to rest on his chest and his eyes shut, falling into a peaceful slumber. Jared glanced back to Andy and a sinister smile replaced his once warm and cheerful grin, and his green eyes were now a threatening and haunting orange.

"I knew it was you, Andy. I knew it." Jared mused.
"Wait- What?" Andy swallowed thickly.
"We all knew it was you the moment you muttered something about the 'perfume.'" He chuckled. "In fact, it's not perfume at all... It's a scent that only those with heightened senses can pick up on... i.e., vampires. We use it to mask the scent of human blood. It helps keep my employees under control."
"Wait, so everyone here is-"
"Nearly." Jared shrugged casually. "But none of them are as special as the two of us, Andrew."

Andy shuddered at the way his full name rolled from Jared's tongue. It made Andy want to puke.

"Special?" Andy snorted bitterly.
"Of course... We're both of the royal blood, dear brother." Jared put a hand on Andy's shoulder.
Andy pulled away. "Brother?" He narrowed his eyes.
Jared nodded. "Not by blood, of course, but by bloodline. You see, we're both descendants of the royals... That makes us brothers in a way, does it not?"

Andy wrinkled his nose and shook his head. "I thought the royal bloodline had purple eyes. Why are yours orange."
Jared grinned. "Every good royal family needs a rebellious family... My blood just so happens to come from that specific family."
"So... You're evil, then." Andy rolled his eyes, a bit agitated at this point.
"Long story short? Yes, I suppose. You and I, our families battled each other for centuries but we can change that." Jared leaned towards him. "You and I can join together and reunite our kind. What to do you say, my Prince of Darkness?" He mused.

Andy stepped away from him. "I say... go fuck yourself." He sneered.

Jared's smug expression became cold and hard. "That's a mistake, you know." He snarled viciously. "Don't think I don't already know."
"Know what?"
"That you're spiraling out of control. You're losing it, Andrew. I could have helped you tame your abilities, tame your hunger, but you're sacrificing your chance at control to try and save this pathetic race of humans. Disgusting. But I suppose that's out of my hands now." Jared walked back to Ashley. "What a shame it is that you'll suffer from the consequences."
Andy heaved in a heavy inhale. "What do you mean."
Jared met his eyes. "You'll see when the time comes, dark prince." He said smoothly, but bitterness seeped through as well. Jared looked to Ashley. "Awake." He commanded and Ashley snapped his head up, looking around.

"What-"
Andy grabbed his arm and pulled him up. "We're leaving." He said tightly, dragging Ashley out to the car without a second glance back to Jared, who stood stiffly in the middle of the office with a malicious grin plastered across his face.

What did he mean by 'when the time comes'?