Finally, Josiah accepted the invitation to lunch.
The four of them passed several other club houses, mostly art and music related. As they walked, the woods seemed to go deeper, the trees closer to each other, soon the light of the sun was covered by the trees. They followed a paved road which led to an archway, on top of which was writte, 'Magic Division Main Campus'. By the side was a sign saying 'Only bonafide magi are allowed to enter'.
The group went straight through. Dorin felt as if he passed a kind of membrane as he passed, but the professor held his hand as well as Josiah's and they were able to make it to the other side.
They walked for a couple of minutes more until a grand castle come into view. The castle stood in the midst of a vast clearing, surrounded by a wall of trees. There was a veil of mystery that seemed to be holding the whole castle together. From its ancient gray walls with moss and lichen growing from its cracks and partially covered with vines, to its high towers with gleaming green roof that showed a couple of missing tiles. There was an actual moat surrounding it, spanning about six meters across, but due to age and lack of use, it was only about a couple of feet deep, and full of tadpoles.
The small group passed the drawbridge. Though it looked quite old, it didn't so much as give a creak as they passed. They saw several buildings once they entered the courtyard. They turned left and entered the 1st structure there. It was a dining hall, so large and spacey that you could fit a thousand guests inside. There were fireplaces on each of the 4 corners large enough to cook two sheep at a time. Hundreds of tables were placed in the middle, and in between the fireplaces were long banquette tables, although at that time, only 1 row had food on it.
"It's self service here," Professor Dupont told a gawking Dorin. He handed him a tray with a plate and some silverware, then proceeded to get some food from the table himself. "Just make sure you can finish what you get."
[Dorin can finish anything] wrote Sebastian. He had already started filling his tray and had left the slate hanging on his neck. [Tell him to leave some food for others] he added.
The professor laughed.
"Are those chocolates?!" asked Dorin, pointing at the middle of the banquette table where several plates of desserts were served, including a towering tray of chocolates. "Mother sometimes brings me some chocolates when she comes home from work... but it's never enough to fill me up!" he started piling the chocolates on his plate.
"Hey, make sure to eat proper food," said Josiah from behind him.
"Oh, I will!" replied Dorin, his mouth full of chocolates.
[No worries] was written on the slate around Sebastian's neck.
They headed to the nearest table where the Professor was already seated.
"Is that all you're eating?" Dorin asked Josiah after seeing his plate with only a few pieces of morsel on it.
"I'm a vegetarian," answered the other, "I don't eat meat."
"Wow, Sebastian wasn't joking when he said you eat a lot..." Professor Dupont gawked at Dorin's tray.
"I'm a growing lad!" replied Dorin between mouths full of food. "And as my mother always says, 'There's no love more sincere than the love of food!'"
[I think that's from some politician]
"Well anyways, I need my food! Besides, most of these stuff I only see in books, and we hardly have enough ingredients to make them back home!"
"You must have had it tough, where you're from?" asked Professor Dupont with a sympathetic smile.
"Well, there aren't many produce in Monarch Forest, and the nearest store is miles away," Dorin frowned, "also, mother was never good at cooking, it was a good thing my friend taught me how to cook for myself and even gave me a cookbook!" he added proudly.
"Is that so? Perhaps I could try your cooking some time," said the professor.
[He's currently under kitchen duty] wrote seb. [You can try his cooking tonight at the dorm canteen]
"Hmm, sounds good, I'll be taking your offer then!" he grinned at the two.
"Hate to interrupt, but we should go back to the club house soon," Josiah cuts in.
"That's right," said Professor Dupont, "the other judges might already be there." He gobbled up the rest of the food on his plate, a good competition for Dorin who was doing the same.
"Is Professor Newton really coming today, Josiah?" he asked as he wiped his mouth with a napkin.
"Yes, Professor Dupont, she consented at the last minute," the other replied.
"Professor Newton?" asked Dorin as Josiah and the professor led the way out of the dinning hall.
[Professor Newton is the head of the Technology Department] explained Sebastian. [She is the lead inventor in the University, even in the whole Empire]
"Wow, she's that great, huh?" Dorin said with raised brows.
[Yes. And she's a non-magic user. A frail 'plebeian' hardly in her mid twenties. She's what you might call a genius]
"You two, hurry up," Josiah called back to them. "I don't want our judges to arrive without me to welcome them."
Most of the photos were already printed when they got back to the Photography Club. They gave Anastasia her lunch and helped out with the remaining students. They were in the main lecture hall, pinning the last photos when the other judges arrived.
There were 4 judges in all, Professor Dupont of the Magic Division, Professor Newton from the Science and Technology Division and two representatives from their sponsors – Mrs. Hiiro who owns the biggest photography supply store in town, and Mr. Rolei who owns a camera store where the 1st prize TLR Camera will be coming from.
"Welcome to the Photography Club," Anastasia said to the judges. "You have come just in time, we have just finished putting up all the photos."
"Good, I'm in quite a hurry," said Professor Newton. "We just had a breakthrough with a new engine that can run on a drop of urine." The others looked at her funny, but she seemed to be oblivious of their stares.
"Right, so let's begin with the judging..." continued Josiah. He handed out sheets of paper to the judges. "Please look at the score sheets," he told them, "The numbers on the sheet correspond to the number beside the photographs' title. Please grade them as you see fit. We have 5 groups of pictures. The criteria are as follows..." he looks at his copy, "30% for composition, 20% for technique, 20% for focus, 20% for lighting, and 10% for relevance to theme."
"Got it!" Mr Rolei from the Camera store said with a smile, he seems to be excited about the photos. "Can we start now?"
"Yes, please!" Anastasia and Josiah say in unison.