A/N: A somewhat tongue-in-cheek skit as you can probably tell from the title, but this was plenty of fun to write. Maybe I'll return to properly finish it one day. 849Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8GerIRZiSE
-:-849Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡovCnVmI0vr
THE TYPICAL GOTHIC VICTORIAN MELODRAMA, ONLY GAYER AND LESS WHITE849Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8XdmOzewzb
CHARACTERS849Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW0ZAFrhuAf
CECIL - male, twenties, biracial, well-dressed849Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs3S7iCqeZ9
XIUYING - female, twenties, Chinese, no-nonsense; a suffragette849Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeF8QBf7Apy
--849Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQM5Mvl9aMk
EXT. GARDEN BENCH, NIGHT849Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5BDUF2QGMc
Early twentieth century. CECIL sits, head in his hands, as XIUYING studies a handwritten letter with furrowed brows. She carefully folds it back up and turns to CECIL.849Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnIdCPQXgUT
XIUYING849Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUeOmiI9FCJ
We don’t have much time.849Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4kBxHE9Qtt
CECIL
I’m surprised we have any time left at all! It only came in the post this morning. What the hell am I going to do?849Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHYgjsCADJ1
XIUYING849Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvHw4n7E5OH
First, you need to calm down so we can consider the situation. 849Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF2lJBE3WjN
CECIL849Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP5WMGWxikk
Calm? Calm? How can you expect me to stay calm after that? My lover is blackmailing me over poetry - explicit poetry that I sent him! He expects a thousand pounds by tonight, or else I’m in for ruin and two years hard labour!849Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡugbAWzVMWS
XIUYING849Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEHybTYBUus
I understand you’re upset - 849Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ77w6hnmo6L
CECIL849Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbuMOWwNjs5
I damn well am! 849Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOBxHErSv1C
XIUYING849Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWkkctDalI0
- but panicking will get nothing done. I am so sorry this happened, Cecil, and… I’m so sorry about Laurence.849Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQbz6Qjbq1I
CECIL, stricken anew, breaks down. 849Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZQCxby5Rri
CECIL849Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbPY0OGpoxD
Dear God, I trusted him. The first person I ever trusted with my love, and he betrayed me. I didn’t know he had it in him. We were all so careful. There was no possible chance of discovery. The three of us were the only ones who knew. I don’t understand why he could do this. 849Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNmt3K9yNV9
XIUYING849Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSGqhNFPr5M
(slowly)849Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1tBGUdQVZz
As a matter of fact, I highly doubt it was him at all.849Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdSscJc1OGx
CECIL freezes and looks up at her. 849Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ26OqIQpqp6
CECIL849Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡANeQ7w1jB7
What?849Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj9AJsGRUgY
XIUYING849Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDddTHt5Klk
I cannot in good conscience believe that Laurence is behind this.849Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkZtcV1RYv9
CECIL849Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ55a5H1Ahpx
Xiuying, what on earth are you talking about? This is Laurence’s handwriting. This is the very ink and paper he uses to write his plays! (He gets angry.) Do you think I haven’t considered the possibility that the love of my life couldn’t be blackmailing me like this? This is undeniably him!849Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjVB2j5gKL5
XIUYING849Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEVmSxn1n9E
Yes, but if you had taken the time to read over this thoroughly, you would notice that his handwriting is wobbly.849Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsnyIjRN4MY
CECIL849Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡklhdvfDHxB
It’s always wobbly. Messy handwriting is the staple of any artist.849Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡChfLR2RD9p
XIUYING849Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUULV7cbGme
Messier than usual, I mean. You two may be lovers, but I’m the one who’s known him since grammar school. He only ever writes like this when he’s upset or under exceptional stress.849Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWPnzcN1LPQ
CECIL849Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIULaqWsvsV
Well, maybe he was nervous, pulling the rug out from under someone who trusted him. 849Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9qpkoZCyqC
XIUYING849Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjLu3Pdpcn1
That may be the case, but look at this.849Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaHq2kwm90E
She points at several dark brown and rust-coloured stains at the edges of the paper. There are ink blotches everywhere, but these particular spots, upon close inspection, are distinctive. 849Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzWnU07TJXW
XIUYING849Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ2jmeEv4kI
If I’m not mistaken, that is blood.849Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7KLHbsQE9C
CECIL849Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgyN6mRclTy
Blood? (A pause as horrified realization creeps in.) Oh, dear God. Laurence.849Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVKUqZ2Pj8r
XIUYING849Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHUcjuInGb0
(grimly)849Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZub9f9PPtv
Exactly. There’s something deeper here, far worse than what’s on the surface. 849Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvBD0FsQa6w
CECIL849Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡumkbjogYwY
But - but if someone is forcing Laurence to write this, then how - how can we get him back? I don’t own a thousand pounds. I couldn’t possibly pay this person off.849Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYX2gSawxbG
CECIL is shocked to turn and see XIUYING smiling faintly. 849Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJyuKRZcAKt
XIUYING849Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzuZ9HTzcvF
Who said anything about paying them off?849Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOddj5dng2f
--849Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlikHaiyLcZ
然後按「加至主畫面」