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. 942Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx1u2s2zcoB
-:-942Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsxvMBkCVdF
THE TYPICAL GOTHIC VICTORIAN MELODRAMA, ONLY GAYER AND LESS WHITE942Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡakYXVftpje
CHARACTERS942Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3v7wOfGdLD
CECIL - male, twenties, biracial, well-dressed942Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh6C107dtmn
XIUYING - female, twenties, Chinese, no-nonsense; a suffragette942Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0bDIZZdTSg
--942Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO2LBclRNNz
EXT. GARDEN BENCH, NIGHT942Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVxQDTZv8Ud
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.942Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTXhhcMYbqD
XIUYING942Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiTNmaQDAfB
We don’t have much time.942Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7oqhrlOCeh
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?942Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMMlUqocLhB
XIUYING942Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx7Ir7dT5QP
First, you need to calm down so we can consider the situation. 942Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3GuUxf8YNi
CECIL942Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfgd2QhNQ1V
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!942Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRHj57dfDku
XIUYING942Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWjeR4O9LLJ
I understand you’re upset - 942Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDaKKXxECrF
CECIL942Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXoZBz6fm6L
I damn well am! 942Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ37QDauaAUs
XIUYING942Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjDfkhdn64o
- but panicking will get nothing done. I am so sorry this happened, Cecil, and… I’m so sorry about Laurence.942Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFSGBE80D9T
CECIL, stricken anew, breaks down. 942Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPK4NAXtusU
CECIL942Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOSe5oU6a4w
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. 942Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkZczjShBfG
XIUYING942Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ4Lu4HZMiG
(slowly)942Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWnAH8FgRru
As a matter of fact, I highly doubt it was him at all.942Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjlfhxczHxV
CECIL freezes and looks up at her. 942Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwuDAiorPcR
CECIL942Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSajBK2zZYZ
What?942Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxonUDsqvTF
XIUYING942Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1OrcXn8ABz
I cannot in good conscience believe that Laurence is behind this.942Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxvrs1dR8fY
CECIL942Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9CdKrGIhuU
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!942Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡklHphE1dkP
XIUYING942Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRxnEW8WWLq
Yes, but if you had taken the time to read over this thoroughly, you would notice that his handwriting is wobbly.942Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhiaQyfmwAf
CECIL942Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOXYAwrVwZl
It’s always wobbly. Messy handwriting is the staple of any artist.942Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmzJZpmHVKu
XIUYING942Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0dLKsNOylH
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.942Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgDy0k4TYjC
CECIL942Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKm3Gqrpgpc
Well, maybe he was nervous, pulling the rug out from under someone who trusted him. 942Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj31StPC0f0
XIUYING942Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1S2SaoUd3V
That may be the case, but look at this.942Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCcsnASFuRi
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. 942Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRE0oE58IH4
XIUYING942Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzp0m5By2z5
If I’m not mistaken, that is blood.942Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSxCFDgctMn
CECIL942Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLllmBMQU7H
Blood? (A pause as horrified realization creeps in.) Oh, dear God. Laurence.942Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Th5i267di
XIUYING942Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh7c3eLvq6E
(grimly)942Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfDViTkgbIs
Exactly. There’s something deeper here, far worse than what’s on the surface. 942Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdKzPe4WgEW
CECIL942Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxjBmOaY3qN
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.942Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1dvuV1Jzcq
CECIL is shocked to turn and see XIUYING smiling faintly. 942Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡptvBNGQ2TC
XIUYING942Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnQmzMI314x
Who said anything about paying them off?942Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTWNqLqV5MN
--942Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBKKSKit9dp
and then Add to home screen.