On the way back to the apartment building, Xenja halted to pick up Stevie's mitts from the ground, holding them in the blonde's direction. Stevie wasn't pleased by having been seen in her fit, averting her eyes with a pink tint on her face when she took the gloves and stuffed them into her pocket.

Hands still interlocked, the girls continued inside to where Xenja had left her bag when running to catch up with Stevie. She seemed relieved by being able to communicate again, did the raven-haired girl take out her magnetic board almost instantly, writing with the marker squeaking as it slid over the smooth surface.

"Don't you dare apologize to me!" Stevie yelled after checking what the short girl was trying to tell her with calligraphic handwriting. Probably shocked by the sudden anger in Stevie's voice, Xenja stopped scribbling her apology.

Whatever it was that she wanted to apologize for, it wasn't needed. Not for not being able to talk. Not for letting Stevie wait outside in the cold.

[But I-] the girl silently started writing again before getting interrupted a second time, "No buts! I have to apologize, it was my fault, all of it. I should not have snapped from being too stupid to play a simple melody."

[You just lack practice, nothing to do with you being stupid.] replied Xenja through her board. She looked as if she was writing as fast as possible, probably so she wouldn't annoy Stevie by making her wait.

"So you are saying I was being stupid and untalented?" Stevie fake pouted, but couldn't help but smile right after.

[Anyway, want to go up and practice a bit?] asked Xenja with a big smile on her face. Considering that she had troubles with finding friends, the mere chance to invite someone to her room might have been enough to make her happy.

"I'd love to," replied Stevie without a moment of hesitation. Her counterpart just nodded in response before leading both of them upstairs. Their echoing steps in the hallway reminded Stevie of her encounter with Xenja's mother, subconsciously wishing the woman wouldn't be home. Just from their short meeting, Stevie knew that they wouldn't get along.

Lucky for her, the apartment seemed empty when Xenja unlocked it, nothing but silence filling the many rooms. Unlike last time, when the piano tunes lured Stevie to the end of the hall, she was being pulled in that direction by Xenja's slender fingers, which refused to let go of hers.

Being back in the sterile looking room, the blonde sat down at the piano, waiting for her tutor to do the same. But before Xenja could sit down, she went over to her desk. She was seemingly rummaging through various notes, unable to find whatever she was looking for.

Looking beneath the table, she pulled something out of the bin standing there. Looking satisfied with her findings, the raven-haired girl sat down next to Stevie. Curious because of the apparent importance of this sheet of paper, the blonde looked at the headline written in the usual calligraphic handwriting.

Seeing that Xenja had written a whole list of "What to teach Stevie" made her once again realize how serious Xenja was about this. Giving her best to try and get along. The urge to hug her tutor swelled up in Stevie, she herself knew how untypical that was for her. Possibly it was because the girl was sitting so close already, close enough to smell the shampoo in her hair. But she knew, if anything, an embrace would scare Xenja away, so she drowned her urge and waited for instructions.