It takes him a moment or two - he mostly learned to play by ear, as it were - but he plucks an E obligingly. The ducking of his head is just enough to hide the faint twist to the side of his mouth at the alacrity with which Jay abruptly complied, plainly unintentionally.

Given the hellhole that was last year's Christmas, this isn't such a bad turn of events.

"It's not like either of us have been practicing any," he says diplomatically. "I'm kinda rusty."