Murdoc tossed another piece of wood onto the pile and headed back towards the house on the porch of which, wrapped in a stiff wool blanket, stood 2-D. Despite the early autumn, 2-D walked out on the cold plank floor barefoot.

"Can I help you?" he asked.

"You look like a certain Russian princess," Niccals remarked as they walked back into the house. "One I knew years ago."

"Really?" 2-D asked with interest, closing the door. "How do I remind you of her?"

"She was also skinny, lost and naked." Murdoc said, dumping the wood near the modern black stove and placing it neatly against the wall.

"I'm not naked, I have panties," turning around, 2D gestured at the blanket that had risen to reveal his panty-covered butt.

"And I still don't understand why we had to come here," Noodle said as she walked down the stairs, carrying her empty coffee cup to the kitchen.

"But it's nice here," 2-D remarked. "Good morning!"

"Morning. We could have gone to any other better place, ne? Somewhere closer to civilization."

"It's civilized enough here," 2-D said.

"But there are no people, and we can't leave until the boat gets here. Murdoc wanted unity with nature, why couldn't he choose nature only a half hour from the city?"

"Metallica played in Antarctica," Murdoc answered . "Deftones in a volcano. Why can't we stream live from a forest surrounded by the North Sea?"

"Because it's difficult and pointless," Noodle said.

"You agreed to come here."

"I didn't know it was a remote island!"

"It was worth googling, I mean, you don't like being here now?"

"Not that I don't like it..." Noodle said. "But I was hoping you could shed some light on why we brought ourselves and all our things to the forest on the island a month before the performance, but you haven't given us any explanation."

"Fine, let me try to explain." Murdoc said. " In a month, we could not have gotten here. The snow will fall, the ice will freeze and we can only leave here by car."

"So why couldn't we take a car here later this month?"

"Because later 2-D has a scheduled check-up at the dentist.

"So des ne. You are not explaining anything."

"I tried to explain," Murdoc says. "Okay, I just really wanted to come here."

"Just because you wanted to?" Noodle asked.

"Yes," Niccals answered . "Think of it as a trip, but just to this place, but to find yourself. It'll probably be good for us."

"You know, maybe you're right," Noodle nodded her head. "For me this explanation is enough."

"Nice," Murdoc said.

"I don't quite understand how it happened, but I'm glad you came to an understanding." 2-D said. "Is the kettle hot?"

"Not really," Noodle replied.

"Turn it on, please," 2-D asked.

"I'll go do something useful, since we're here to stay," Noodle said, walking back upstairs with a bottle of water.

Picking up a cup of tea, 2-D tries to go to the kettle, but comes across Murdoc, blocking his way.

"We have a paid passage through the kitchen now," he said.

"Uh ... You mean ... what?"

"Paid. Must pay to get through."

"But I'm in underpants and a blanket. Let me go to the jeans, then I'll bring you some money.

"I don't need your money," Murdoc said.

"Then what do you want?" 2-D asked.

Murdoc kept staring at the guy as if he owed him a soul.

"Oh." 2-D said.

Realizing, he bent down to kiss Murdoc, but Russel entered the kitchen noisily, picking in his ear, so Murdoc dodged the kiss, giving the impression he had been standing there the whole time, propping up the cupboard.

"What?" Murdoc asked Russell, just to ask something.

"I forgot my favorite earplugs at home," he complained .

"Is it absolutely awful?" Murdoc asked.

"No, I took my less loved earplugs. But the feeling is not the same." 2-D and Murdoc exchanged glances.

"Try jerking off without a condom," Murdoc said.

"What?" Russell looked around.

"What?" Murdoc asked. "I must urgently go out to the yard," he said, and disappeared from the kitchen.

"What did he say last, I didn't hear?" Russell asked 2-D, taking the earplugs out of his ears.

"What," he suggested.

"I understood that by mimicry."

Russ walked through the kitchen to another room, in search of a toilet in the house, and 2-D, sipping fresh tea, went out onto the porch, where Murdoc was leaning against the wall of the house, smoking.

"Do you want to drink?" 2-D asked.

"Yes," Murdoc replied, looking at him, phlegmatically exhaling smoke.

"I wanted too. I made some tea for myself."

"I see," Murdoc said.

"You are," 2-D went out onto the porch, closing the door.

He approached Murdoc and wanted to kiss him, but he turned away from the kiss. 2-D looked so confused that Murdoc felt sorry for him for a moment. But instead of condescending and pitying the poor man, Murdoc took 2-D's tea and, having sipped half, put it back in his hand.

Looking at him, 2-D scratched the cup with his finger.

"It's kind of like a little kiss too," he said, more to himself than to Murdoc, then he stowed back into the house, knocked on the door, pinched the edge of the blanket, opened the door again and pulled it in with him.