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. 967Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡugwY8YNT3J
-:-967Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTTdJttntAV
THE TYPICAL GOTHIC VICTORIAN MELODRAMA, ONLY GAYER AND LESS WHITE967Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjB3WGwNz7B
CHARACTERS967Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnpj2g19Gyu
CECIL - male, twenties, biracial, well-dressed967Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUFUakojUgW
XIUYING - female, twenties, Chinese, no-nonsense; a suffragette967Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ39dW3lQO8m
--967Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYxFGp49ZqH
EXT. GARDEN BENCH, NIGHT967Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe4mfQBeCBh
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.967Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNR5BxIOdFV
XIUYING967Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZjWOL5rPyC
We don’t have much time.967Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡphDA453NOz
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?967Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWxHfNu7VnS
XIUYING967Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpdr2WmHKdi
First, you need to calm down so we can consider the situation. 967Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcS4Z6idGwq
CECIL967Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSvSo8HesMA
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!967Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOFccOvR8Sq
XIUYING967Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUhXLveZrMR
I understand you’re upset - 967Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFmbkyIlczY
CECIL967Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjfzePTgEkz
I damn well am! 967Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPie32cXSE2
XIUYING967Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDujMNwkDZC
- but panicking will get nothing done. I am so sorry this happened, Cecil, and… I’m so sorry about Laurence.967Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKg0P6hHSer
CECIL, stricken anew, breaks down. 967Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3hwvMHOjif
CECIL967Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeKMs026WWY
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. 967Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4ctlqZO53F
XIUYING967Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdeSxVo6Q8m
(slowly)967Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdEtndPqMtD
As a matter of fact, I highly doubt it was him at all.967Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡumZnJTcYPq
CECIL freezes and looks up at her. 967Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK26bA7wHuN
CECIL967Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJNqI53Iza6
What?967Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl7RGTn4BeF
XIUYING967Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlCOF6yR7wF
I cannot in good conscience believe that Laurence is behind this.967Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDrSTK3cdni
CECIL967Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo6S2AIN6SX
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!967Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9lPv2cuZ0q
XIUYING967Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCs9mz9BHhu
Yes, but if you had taken the time to read over this thoroughly, you would notice that his handwriting is wobbly.967Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcjCfkr30GA
CECIL967Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWVnPzbUIfj
It’s always wobbly. Messy handwriting is the staple of any artist.967Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoAk8mNqM7S
XIUYING967Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtToEVduUqE
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.967Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkGHoYcP8FN
CECIL967Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFi1vIitSv0
Well, maybe he was nervous, pulling the rug out from under someone who trusted him. 967Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSSwbidcWeJ
XIUYING967Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8HCawrUaQX
That may be the case, but look at this.967Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5DT2n28iVH
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. 967Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfRbBlsViow
XIUYING967Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBRCW5GiRns
If I’m not mistaken, that is blood.967Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr5XSnSyWs9
CECIL967Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0HbhcIrHrU
Blood? (A pause as horrified realization creeps in.) Oh, dear God. Laurence.967Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPGe9T8Fa1e
XIUYING967Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR9Z8C2H9JJ
(grimly)967Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAmDJVF6hbM
Exactly. There’s something deeper here, far worse than what’s on the surface. 967Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡER3yBF9gB7
CECIL967Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSXLONooRpr
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.967Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Iys5f9htm
CECIL is shocked to turn and see XIUYING smiling faintly. 967Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxrGgxzCJUZ
XIUYING967Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnOI0XpHlKa
Who said anything about paying them off?967Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuQ6Q7ovBYy
--967Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaIk0kLqiza
and then Add to home screen.