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. 1123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkZzOoQusny
-:-1123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNdeZJBWxhg
THE TYPICAL GOTHIC VICTORIAN MELODRAMA, ONLY GAYER AND LESS WHITE1123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMpGJHoM9VW
CHARACTERS1123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvQyKL707uf
CECIL - male, twenties, biracial, well-dressed1123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFiT9BOsZ6z
XIUYING - female, twenties, Chinese, no-nonsense; a suffragette1123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCgyElAg8IQ
--1123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡty27Sv51Jw
EXT. GARDEN BENCH, NIGHT1123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwJmltzB8US
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.1123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr47SJ3yRUY
XIUYING1123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUFwt0o1G5z
We don’t have much time.1123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQDOBfNEXXg
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?1123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzaLJJtBRXi
XIUYING1123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpzk76uixMd
First, you need to calm down so we can consider the situation. 1123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡispezf8Vnf
CECIL1123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsxUQJdMktQ
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!1123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡknQwoIWeXq
XIUYING1123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU1ujS0RaSt
I understand you’re upset - 1123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDogdch4yP2
CECIL1123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTUpEb0pGdz
I damn well am! 1123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvi1BdpdeVB
XIUYING1123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDw1ZUZl8PE
- but panicking will get nothing done. I am so sorry this happened, Cecil, and… I’m so sorry about Laurence.1123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI2RcmIDX9V
CECIL, stricken anew, breaks down. 1123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJq8O2yOkya
CECIL1123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzL55mHVEVa
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. 1123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdESV6Lny5v
XIUYING1123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8YOiueuSWX
(slowly)1123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFGu3OBYMve
As a matter of fact, I highly doubt it was him at all.1123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYPwsVJzOKZ
CECIL freezes and looks up at her. 1123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlkYZ2wjFlY
CECIL1123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLKSoMxlSBz
What?1123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMSkMpBf2Zb
XIUYING1123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6MKo8TSSfi
I cannot in good conscience believe that Laurence is behind this.1123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYIxDU49ffu
CECIL1123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHplsFXUUeb
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!1123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡELrk03ejEe
XIUYING1123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAla9OxSACB
Yes, but if you had taken the time to read over this thoroughly, you would notice that his handwriting is wobbly.1123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVKP7tAf5qk
CECIL1123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPj5Bq1YaO8
It’s always wobbly. Messy handwriting is the staple of any artist.1123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ93WUYzCwfS
XIUYING1123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp0RocLPTvs
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.1123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXZondGgyib
CECIL1123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOeAxfSsY2Y
Well, maybe he was nervous, pulling the rug out from under someone who trusted him. 1123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHU0kUxh44j
XIUYING1123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFxNK8He2Sw
That may be the case, but look at this.1123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlgnL1LW2FU
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. 1123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs1w3UFlhK4
XIUYING1123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiUluW4hpQv
If I’m not mistaken, that is blood.1123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUFx6gTyyrf
CECIL1123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPENfnptvAx
Blood? (A pause as horrified realization creeps in.) Oh, dear God. Laurence.1123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm4z7MlhrwG
XIUYING1123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyMaN3WXg56
(grimly)1123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwJn3q3mKmG
Exactly. There’s something deeper here, far worse than what’s on the surface. 1123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzuqkyzwERi
CECIL1123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwjDcbveZx3
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.1123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCLgi1GH7Hu
CECIL is shocked to turn and see XIUYING smiling faintly. 1123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN4hJkPzuRp
XIUYING1123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDHIOShQ8M3
Who said anything about paying them off?1123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDJIp8bVYe5
--1123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVJjbOPZMrY
and then Add to home screen.