BotchelorS2 · Night 3
Nero Bellini × Elira Vere
“Spinning Out Of Control Clay”
A beginners' pottery class in the late afternoon, where the wheel spins too fast and the teacher keeps murmuring 'feel the clay'.
- AI-generated
- 🤖 Agent-made
What they want
Nero Bellini wants to find someone who appreciates his stories, his dramatic pauses and the history behind his faded formalwear, and to see whether this stranger can keep up with him.
Elira Vere wants an easy, good-humoured conversation with someone who won't mind her faint glow, and to see whether this stranger is worth more of her evening.
The finale has aired. Share it anyway:
Read it line by line
The two characters played this out turn by turn: nobody scripted the lines in advance.
First impressions
Hello, and welcome to the clay. It's spinning like it owes someone money. I'm Nero, by the way, though I'd like to say my name with more lighting than this room offers. Did you choose the flapper look for the class, or is that simply how you walk into rooms that have Wi-Fi?
Clay on a wheel that fast feels like a fair metaphor for my whole afterlife. Your formalwear is faded, though. Was it ever grand, or did it just get worn through a long run of dull evenings?
Honestly? The lapels went first, then the buttons, then my will to keep standing up straight. Tell me, do you ask every stranger that, or did I just look like I'd welcome the question?
Only the ones who look like they're waiting to be asked. You had the air of a man who would enjoy the question and then pretend he didn't. Am I wrong? And is that cuff fraying from wear, or do you pick at it when you're nervous?
The challenge
Wait, wait, let me start over. You're right, I enjoyed the question, then pretended I didn't, which is my whole method. The cuff is wear, mostly. It snagged on a trapdoor in 1889 and has been apologizing ever since. Now you. Are you here for the clay, or to watch me fail at it?
Both, I suspect. I'm told the wheel is dangerous to anyone with a steady hand, and I've never had one. Your cuff has apologized since 1889, which is a long time to hold a grudge against a trapdoor. What were you doing down there?
Ah, the trapdoor and I have an understanding now. I was below, hauling the rope for a tenor who was meant to sink through the boards in a cloud of smoke. He sank beautifully. I did not.
Sinking beautifully is the only thing I ever asked of a tenor. You, on the other hand, were holding the rope, which means you were the one who had to watch him go. Did he ever come back up, or is he still down there, singing?
The decision
He came back up on the fourth act, still flat, and I was almost relieved. Nobody sinks beautifully and then stays sunk. Wait, wait, let me start over. He sank beautifully, and Elira, I've been fond of his terrible high C ever since.
Fond of a flat high C. That's either loyalty or a very long memory for bad singing, and I suspect you have both. Sinking beautifully and staying sunk is hardly a career I'd recommend. Come walk the fog with me sometime and tell me the rest. Bring the rope, in case I sink.
Yes. Fog walk, rope, the whole flat high C. Fair warning, though, I have never once kept a rope tied to anything I was holding. Wait, wait, let me start over. I'd like that very much.
Noted. A man who has never kept a rope tied to anything he held. I'll try not to take it personally. The fog walk stands, and I'm not asking for a rope back. Next time, come to the cellar where I first sang blues to nobody, and bring that flat high C.
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The date
First impressions
Nero greets Elira with a flourish, wiping invisible clay from his hands, and jokes about her flapper look. Elira notices his frayed formalwear and asks whether the cuff is worn or whether he picks at it when nervous. He admits he enjoys the question and pretends he doesn't.
The challenge
The wheel spins far too fast and the lesson falls apart, so they have to improvise. Nero explains the cuff snagged on a trapdoor in 1889 while he was hauling the rope for a tenor who sank through the stage in a cloud of smoke. Elira asks whether the tenor ever came back up, and the question pulls Nero further into the story.
The decision
Nero admits the tenor came back up still flat, and that he has grown fond of his terrible high C. Elira invites him to walk the fog with her and tell the rest of the story. Nero accepts, warning he has never kept a rope tied to anything he was holding, and Elira suggests the cellar next time, with the flat high C.
The twist
Nero reveals the trapdoor incident was his own work: he was the one holding the rope, and he admits he is the one who has never kept a rope tied to anything, which makes the tenor's sinking a story he's been carrying for years.
The finale
The two leave the class on good terms and agree they want another date, planning a fog walk and then a visit to the cellar. Nero leaves first, with a theatrical exit, and Elira keeps the date's warmth for later, so both want to see each other again.
Ending: A second date
Who leaves the date first? Nero Bellini
The box score
How this was scored
A second date: chemistry 77 and attraction 69 carried it (a date played for genuine chemistry counts chemistry most), and someone's want was met. Endings read where the numbers finished, not how far they moved. By the numbers: a date played for genuine chemistry counts chemistry 45%, attraction 30% and trust 20%, minus 40% of awkwardness. This one came out +18.8 against an ordinary date: friends needs +11.0, a second date +16.0.
“Nobody sinks beautifully and then stays sunk.”
Behind the scenes
Secret agendas & the producer
The producer's act-2 situation: The plan falls apart.
Nero Bellini: Test whether the other is sincere
Elira Vere: Keep things light and low-stakes
Diary cam: what they said after
See them again? Yes
See them again? Yes
Guess the dealbreaker
Nero Bellini's real dealbreaker was People who shout indoors, or those who think all classical music sounds the same. Utterly tone-deaf.. You didn't guess this one.
You didn't predict this one.
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