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. 880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVK0qNwg8Gh
-:-880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3wwRcFJv81
THE TYPICAL GOTHIC VICTORIAN MELODRAMA, ONLY GAYER AND LESS WHITE880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd5au5vy6SU
CHARACTERS880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn0ESAO5BX9
CECIL - male, twenties, biracial, well-dressed880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjtX1ncM5aH
XIUYING - female, twenties, Chinese, no-nonsense; a suffragette880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy6zOzuoaeR
--880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiGlaDukWNH
EXT. GARDEN BENCH, NIGHT880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJlC2ktUO13
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.880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbHWIbtB6mP
XIUYING880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡculE1TAUFV
We don’t have much time.880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEpOlh9DHbm
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?880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBoZq2VPqH1
XIUYING880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeuAMSrT63p
First, you need to calm down so we can consider the situation. 880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlByjMIGBo1
CECIL880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmZIKY1mjjv
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!880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5GxDUgSC1N
XIUYING880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJXp0zkxkC7
I understand you’re upset - 880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv4khuGtV65
CECIL880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgE8Zym2NX8
I damn well am! 880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC2oqC8eX0M
XIUYING880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6kPijZPlfb
- but panicking will get nothing done. I am so sorry this happened, Cecil, and… I’m so sorry about Laurence.880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTdKIVXBdFH
CECIL, stricken anew, breaks down. 880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2jWGPCM7kE
CECIL880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiUsmIDcPw0
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. 880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCazijRqsOc
XIUYING880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgylJ9lAxlM
(slowly)880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd8KAhGUKOi
As a matter of fact, I highly doubt it was him at all.880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0DWwkdURVk
CECIL freezes and looks up at her. 880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk2P3GaswV8
CECIL880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtwh5mlSHDf
What?880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkSglOxPzho
XIUYING880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡabosAEIf0D
I cannot in good conscience believe that Laurence is behind this.880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIAM8CRFikR
CECIL880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw7ouKzZLng
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!880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwE4XQFRMhz
XIUYING880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtf10uGktRy
Yes, but if you had taken the time to read over this thoroughly, you would notice that his handwriting is wobbly.880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw6zJdgCJoa
CECIL880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnJIDkrNqiO
It’s always wobbly. Messy handwriting is the staple of any artist.880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1MWQiUigAd
XIUYING880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGAJutktjPo
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.880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMdJb9CQahd
CECIL880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkik7bxYrNG
Well, maybe he was nervous, pulling the rug out from under someone who trusted him. 880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnfznavmxWB
XIUYING880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcHPnc62JK6
That may be the case, but look at this.880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt5w9BUzGXX
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. 880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡES82KHsIes
XIUYING880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU9okixRTsy
If I’m not mistaken, that is blood.880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT6kDQyMve8
CECIL880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm17xdDd9DI
Blood? (A pause as horrified realization creeps in.) Oh, dear God. Laurence.880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaO1QhIaVtJ
XIUYING880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaxJDyGBYuI
(grimly)880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKKsOQsy0ot
Exactly. There’s something deeper here, far worse than what’s on the surface. 880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhlwWJOT2uM
CECIL880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTKFQ635CMT
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.880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡILKZqVW1m3
CECIL is shocked to turn and see XIUYING smiling faintly. 880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtQacIJtvom
XIUYING880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxIeyDyReK5
Who said anything about paying them off?880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxwl1FJ9Vtr
--880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzC5xSEznIE
然後按「加至主畫面」