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. 1143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8600Yln9Ot
-:-1143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHK9gpkLFiE
THE TYPICAL GOTHIC VICTORIAN MELODRAMA, ONLY GAYER AND LESS WHITE1143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwqmGpH7E8r
CHARACTERS1143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6jIgnC3XeB
CECIL - male, twenties, biracial, well-dressed1143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq3sUA7XVEA
XIUYING - female, twenties, Chinese, no-nonsense; a suffragette1143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnOTMjGYm58
--1143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCYxBSS7hAH
EXT. GARDEN BENCH, NIGHT1143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡekhDpBDyYv
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.1143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjlizPKvvQe
XIUYING1143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcVkHvlD5zo
We don’t have much time.1143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpY3WDoNgBT
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?1143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxjSwzaKdrt
XIUYING1143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1nQJTAcFTl
First, you need to calm down so we can consider the situation. 1143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfimZaOk3OX
CECIL1143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6GQq8Mjwu7
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!1143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ383tGAGuBl
XIUYING1143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Bzx3qQCpq
I understand you’re upset - 1143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwlSTE3uFYG
CECIL1143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBYPqplKU6r
I damn well am! 1143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlNoYc346Q6
XIUYING1143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQInJTAD5FB
- but panicking will get nothing done. I am so sorry this happened, Cecil, and… I’m so sorry about Laurence.1143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGNSYeuiiBw
CECIL, stricken anew, breaks down. 1143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6QnT9QUiEg
CECIL1143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJK3CEeUt6r
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. 1143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrUUyehBWpy
XIUYING1143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡReWaCPHOf3
(slowly)1143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ73EfomOwgv
As a matter of fact, I highly doubt it was him at all.1143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG6WnL7nSTE
CECIL freezes and looks up at her. 1143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGdv3rNuvsp
CECIL1143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC6c5F5Fpa2
What?1143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx1mUpFJHyS
XIUYING1143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwDASzcH2UO
I cannot in good conscience believe that Laurence is behind this.1143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ01GbVLln2y
CECIL1143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVHEUjRR2LP
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!1143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh1qXhutypq
XIUYING1143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9JdDSWokDy
Yes, but if you had taken the time to read over this thoroughly, you would notice that his handwriting is wobbly.1143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAFhACbR1oV
CECIL1143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrwgPILeEKV
It’s always wobbly. Messy handwriting is the staple of any artist.1143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡam7ETcs1Ky
XIUYING1143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIqKDIwWfbi
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.1143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMYEMsuq9WD
CECIL1143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOCu9QoMknB
Well, maybe he was nervous, pulling the rug out from under someone who trusted him. 1143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLCqufNrbSE
XIUYING1143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvA8Z4QjV2C
That may be the case, but look at this.1143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ5wpXJV9D5
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. 1143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOXntQVCHHq
XIUYING1143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZvsRll2BjN
If I’m not mistaken, that is blood.1143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqp1R6O6BVt
CECIL1143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFUb0duXapu
Blood? (A pause as horrified realization creeps in.) Oh, dear God. Laurence.1143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsL6FYnLfDc
XIUYING1143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHIR4MupUjY
(grimly)1143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzxcUPBa63X
Exactly. There’s something deeper here, far worse than what’s on the surface. 1143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPQHjv4mM8b
CECIL1143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1cT0UVhthG
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.1143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXGJkuJEODT
CECIL is shocked to turn and see XIUYING smiling faintly. 1143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUG5mjJwgjP
XIUYING1143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzysm6bwM32
Who said anything about paying them off?1143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF2iH2buUuW
--1143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUHQkqxAj2G
and then Add to home screen.