Quinn took off his coat the moment he stepped through his doors.
Cassius was not far behind Quinn, pulling up the sleeves of his shirt.
Quinn walked straight to the decorated canes he had made for parties he attended. He picked out one which was decorated in fine jewels and stared at it for a moment.
"This is a beauty," Quinn said, admiring the jewels he had carefully picked out. "Don’t go too far, Cassius. I told you that I was going to help you."
"I wonder if it’s Lockwood that gives you this new attitude," Quinn said, pointing the cane at Cassius. "Come closer. I can’t see you when you stand over there."
Cassius was quick to be at Quinn’s side. The faster he walked, the faster he could get the punishment over with.
"She always said that Lockwood changes people. You don’t listen these days," Quinn said, aiming the cane so he could swing. He was left to discipline Cassius in place of his mother. "Defend your face. We cannot have it ruined."
Quinn couldn’t ruin Cassius’s face when it was what attracted the young ladies to him.
Cassius placed his hands up so he would block his face.
Quinn swung the cane, aiming for Cassius’s abdomen. "You question my orders and make little plans on the side. Stand up, Cassius. You should know how to take a hit by now. Very well."
Cassius groaned, his back aching after Quinn struck him with the cane after he didn’t stand up right away. He stood up straight before another blow came.
"I said to block your face," Quinn said, ready to strike again.
Quinn only had one thought now, which was to add spikes to the side of the cane.
Cassius put his hands up again, his arms trembling already. Quinn used brute strength behind each blow.
"Tell me, what is it that has your acting out of line? Hmm."
Quinn swung the cane again, but this time, he hit Cassius harder and didn’t give him a moment’s break to adjust to the pain. The first blow was quickly followed by another.
Quinn took his anger out on Cassius as he always did. He had a million things on his mind, and the last thing he needed was for Cassius to be questioning his plans.
Quinn struck Cassius repeatedly until he was kneeling on the floor, his hands still trying to protect his face.
Quinn stopped when he heard a cracking noise. "Did you break my cane? This cost me quite a lot of money," he said, panicking as he inspected every inch of the cane.
Cassius stared at the floor. He lowered his hands since he had a moment to rest.
Cassius was taller than Quinn, yet he never dared to fight back when Quinn was angry.
A little beating was small compared to what else Quinn could think of.
"It’s not broken. You’re lucky," Quinn said, leaving Cassius’s side to put away the cane. "This was my best one. Stand up, Cassius."
Cassius took a deep breath before he attempted to stand. He gathered his strength and stood up before Quinn turned around.
"Have I fixed you?" Quinn asked, getting a good look at Cassius. He didn’t think the beating was sufficient, and luckily, there were many more canes.
"Yes," Cassius replied.
"Did I truly fix you? I think holding your head under water until you dug your nails into my skin was more effective when you were younger. Do you remember how your face changed colour?" Quinn asked, humoured by the old memory.
It awoke Quinn’s interest in the colours people could turn.
Cassius shook his head. "I don’t remember what happened. I woke up and you were laughing. I thought I looked normal then."
"No, you looked pale. A little bit more, and I would have taken you from this world. Next time you question my plans, I’m going to let you see how your face looked back then, or maybe, I’ll let you drown next time," said Quinn.
Cassius touched his side where most of the pain settled. "There won’t be a next time. I won’t question you again."
"How disappointing. I was hoping that you would do it again. I missed the look you had back then, but it is good that you behave," Quinn said, discarding his plans to pick up another cane. "For my plans to succeed, I need you to follow everything that I’ve laid out. Do you understand me?"
"I do," Cassius nodded.
Quinn looked over Cassius’s pitiful state and felt sorry for him. "Look at you. You’ve always looked like a helpless little animal. Come here."
Cassius walked toward Quinn with his guard up. He didn’t know what to expect.
Quinn palmed both sides of Cassius’s face and said, "I will protect you. I will keep our promise to her that we will stick together. It’s just that you misbehave too much. I don’t mean to hurt you, but you acted against me too many times."
"Do you think I am cruel?" Quinn asked.
"No," came a soft response.
"Good. I will sleep well knowing that you don’t think of me as a monster. Be good, and I will spoil you with clothing to replace what you have ruined now. Trust me," Quinn said, tapping Cassius’s face. "What are we going to have for dinner?"
"In the morning, you said you felt like eating fish. Should I prepare it for you, or would you like me to send it to the cook to prepare it?" Cassius asked.
"I like the sound of you preparing me dinner. Well, prepare it for us. You should wash up and get it prepared right away. Pour me a glass of wine while you’re at it," Quinn said, starting to walk away from Cassius. "Don’t forget to hang my coat."
Cassius looked at the coat Quinn walked by.
Why was he to act as a servant when there were plenty around?
Still, Cassius moved to pick up the coat and dusted it off.
Quinn was unpredictable, so there was a chance he might return to see if Cassius was doing as he should.
With the coat hung where it belonged, Cassius dragged his feet toward his chamber. He was tired, and his back ached, but he couldn’t be late with getting dinner started.
The thought of putting something in Quinn’s food crossed his mind, but like many other times, Cassius wasn’t certain he could go through with it.
Cassius didn’t need Quinn to be able to finish their plans since everyone already thought he was the older brother and the mastermind, but the thought of failing to kill Quinn scared him.
If Cassius failed, Quinn wouldn’t hesitate to torture him or worse. Quinn might treat Cassius like the people he held captive.