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. 828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Akscw7yjx
-:-828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv8tU2ffLa9
THE TYPICAL GOTHIC VICTORIAN MELODRAMA, ONLY GAYER AND LESS WHITE828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEvNulkM3bl
CHARACTERS828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8c5wIGPHJT
CECIL - male, twenties, biracial, well-dressed828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc5eEmLp0cJ
XIUYING - female, twenties, Chinese, no-nonsense; a suffragette828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAfZuaAFx8P
--828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDVH6ciVDPn
EXT. GARDEN BENCH, NIGHT828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK12dUUWbYf
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.828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKzhhz01SEF
XIUYING828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjS38jtE1RM
We don’t have much time.828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ1pAuu0tBv
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?828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWd9GXCYNc1
XIUYING828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiHLDe1YY7H
First, you need to calm down so we can consider the situation. 828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZHP6O9ClNG
CECIL828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuIZ2nupxou
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!828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzXU23Bq6WC
XIUYING828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaum5jkOxQR
I understand you’re upset - 828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcJGFNzCFm3
CECIL828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9PU1qC1zmq
I damn well am! 828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhENEtSGcjb
XIUYING828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnO4gwyqdI2
- but panicking will get nothing done. I am so sorry this happened, Cecil, and… I’m so sorry about Laurence.828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzi5QBMlc6K
CECIL, stricken anew, breaks down. 828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCiZ8d374Om
CECIL828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDDSWRKoZQl
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. 828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDODU9vHwB8
XIUYING828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYOTJsXUeMc
(slowly)828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXJLOcE2SLy
As a matter of fact, I highly doubt it was him at all.828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsWaTy2yHOu
CECIL freezes and looks up at her. 828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡymUhtMe6D5
CECIL828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvBwc7lSPb7
What?828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx5v8xHLGf4
XIUYING828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRNAbavE521
I cannot in good conscience believe that Laurence is behind this.828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUDSTzDp9bv
CECIL828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHCEsdJX80m
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!828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ62jMi4M9Kp
XIUYING828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEJdXpJ0RVs
Yes, but if you had taken the time to read over this thoroughly, you would notice that his handwriting is wobbly.828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQpcAWoxaWi
CECIL828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWwY3MuUg6P
It’s always wobbly. Messy handwriting is the staple of any artist.828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEJEv65azUg
XIUYING828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRt8uGcx0ND
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.828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Rog86kCku
CECIL828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDrG7jF7Xyj
Well, maybe he was nervous, pulling the rug out from under someone who trusted him. 828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwnsCaAsXLy
XIUYING828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBya02oRJCS
That may be the case, but look at this.828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6WIM1nrmDQ
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. 828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEnSiKXwdBA
XIUYING828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7ADR6XZljj
If I’m not mistaken, that is blood.828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUWeVaVfZtV
CECIL828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwcv1qR8twY
Blood? (A pause as horrified realization creeps in.) Oh, dear God. Laurence.828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡamV17ceZjQ
XIUYING828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhhdevx6Yit
(grimly)828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡToMlozbANR
Exactly. There’s something deeper here, far worse than what’s on the surface. 828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOl80J0mnrg
CECIL828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRkkqgFrzDa
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.828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy4T7hc5ILV
CECIL is shocked to turn and see XIUYING smiling faintly. 828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5qm98UYccS
XIUYING828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh7jOvbX3Xt
Who said anything about paying them off?828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3vyXuechCF
--828Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ06jnCU7stA
然後按「加至主畫面」