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. 937Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtwvp1N8gJj
-:-937Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpODacdONPn
THE TYPICAL GOTHIC VICTORIAN MELODRAMA, ONLY GAYER AND LESS WHITE937Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWz7l21HGMA
CHARACTERS937Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxOuKoAQnhm
CECIL - male, twenties, biracial, well-dressed937Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEwgjiJWoZj
XIUYING - female, twenties, Chinese, no-nonsense; a suffragette937Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa7pEh6TUgl
--937Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7rZYVL67jk
EXT. GARDEN BENCH, NIGHT937Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfH08usbKzw
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.937Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqQltHmRnWo
XIUYING937Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6q1lbrJxRH
We don’t have much time.937Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9zXRQq4YZD
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?937Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUgpukMnJb6
XIUYING937Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFdtn0ZqY9S
First, you need to calm down so we can consider the situation. 937Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡasizTevsNJ
CECIL937Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6eXmakNqAb
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!937Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpZbvQrDYtg
XIUYING937Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvYHO3htgMq
I understand you’re upset - 937Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbfE6je5eGW
CECIL937Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf79JQGoee4
I damn well am! 937Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8GmxFsCLAD
XIUYING937Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4vLi13PnhF
- but panicking will get nothing done. I am so sorry this happened, Cecil, and… I’m so sorry about Laurence.937Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO35TX3CNu8
CECIL, stricken anew, breaks down. 937Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDjwwkBfZ8m
CECIL937Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmUZgt6nRfl
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. 937Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ01dwL7ROZk
XIUYING937Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfDdREUN9EB
(slowly)937Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQK7v0PZGv7
As a matter of fact, I highly doubt it was him at all.937Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ57IbVV2WP1
CECIL freezes and looks up at her. 937Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ36wqVwqFII
CECIL937Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhSvRzTHACX
What?937Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnAQBaRrHHx
XIUYING937Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL5A8NJLJbl
I cannot in good conscience believe that Laurence is behind this.937Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXNAiPzUjoT
CECIL937Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4KbNMLMf90
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!937Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrpdnVE8KkX
XIUYING937Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmTfMi0g15O
Yes, but if you had taken the time to read over this thoroughly, you would notice that his handwriting is wobbly.937Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ9kf82I4Xe
CECIL937Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJhpk1ZFo51
It’s always wobbly. Messy handwriting is the staple of any artist.937Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEMLe3mBEVp
XIUYING937Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKQvsnUSjYu
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.937Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoPU48Zi3Nm
CECIL937Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡshRt60bvns
Well, maybe he was nervous, pulling the rug out from under someone who trusted him. 937Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7V169hrrk2
XIUYING937Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk0qvhmILoU
That may be the case, but look at this.937Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXxbhbRBjhJ
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. 937Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjDrPDjQhZu
XIUYING937Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡITyitH1aKX
If I’m not mistaken, that is blood.937Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDTrx2yvaR9
CECIL937Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXpa97dQCjN
Blood? (A pause as horrified realization creeps in.) Oh, dear God. Laurence.937Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHeEwGvQleK
XIUYING937Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJNNsr0GZgL
(grimly)937Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz5Ln3pAZGU
Exactly. There’s something deeper here, far worse than what’s on the surface. 937Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8xxQsIAteD
CECIL937Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6XGOfhULBf
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.937Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv5Sk1Hs3Hm
CECIL is shocked to turn and see XIUYING smiling faintly. 937Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw1eompLwtY
XIUYING937Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdJNa3wHWwg
Who said anything about paying them off?937Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrTQgWEGO14
--937Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYLobDWnzvm
