Stewart led Rayleigh, Gordon, and Mandel to the center of the nameless island, speaking calmly. A small wooden cabin stood quietly in a wide, empty square. Moss covered its wooden walls, making it clear that the cabin had been there for years. In front of it lay three enormous logs Stewart had previously broken with a wooden stick.
The three men looked around in surprise, then spoke with a pang of sadness.
"Stewart, you really have had it rough all these years."
Stewart took no offense at their words and replied indifferently.
"Those things never mattered much to me. As long as I have somewhere to shelter from the wind and rain, that's enough. All I care about is getting stronger and finding an opponent I can have a good, satisfying fight with. But ever since Roger died, I haven't found anyone like that. I wanted to see whether you could manage it, Rayleigh, but judging by your performance today, I'm disappointed."
"Heh..."
An awkward smile appeared on Rayleigh's face at Stewart's words. Just then, Stewart pulled an enormous Ceramic Wine Jug and three cups out from beneath the huge stump.
"Have a drink. We're old friends who haven't seen each other in decades, after all."
Despite his good intentions, Stewart kept his already unapproachable face rigid.
As he spoke, Stewart clumsily lifted the enormous jug and filled the cups in front of the three men with a clear liquid.
Rayleigh smiled and raised his cup, but when he took a sip, there was no taste of alcohol at all. With a wry smile, he slowly lowered the cup, shook his head at Stewart, and spoke.
"Just as I thought. I was wondering how there could possibly be any wine here."
Rayleigh was drinking water, as were Mandel and Gordon