"The goddesses of Asgard enjoy paper folding butterflies the most. After folding, they would cast magic that allows them to fly. The butterflies would then fly around the fountains. Whoever's butterfly manages to complete a full circle around the big fountain without getting wet is the most skillful... "
"Ever since Loki became a goddess, no one else has ever been able to win this award. Her magic is indeed powerful, but I think she might be fooling everyone with her illusion techniques, she has been doing this since childhood."
Thor was getting more and more interested and turned to Shiller saying, "Can you teach me how to fold one? I want to teach Sif. It might help her gain recognition at the gatherings of the goddesses."
"Sif tends to follow the path of the Valkyrie, which doesn't really fit in with the traditional goddesses of Asgard. However, when she becomes the Queen of Gods someday, she cannot avoid interacting with the goddesses. Helping her out in this aspect could make up for me delaying our wedding..."
After saying that, he leaned into Shiller, staring intently at Shiller's meticulous movements. He didn't seem bored, but rather exclaimed:
"This is interesting. When these two sides of the cross are closed, the other two open. And when those open, these close... Hurry, teach me how to fold it! Eddie! Eddie! Can you bring us a piece of paper?"
Eddie was about to say that Shiller wasn't in a good mental state at the moment, but then he realized that Shiller was looking up at him. He shook his head helplessly, went into the room, brought out two pieces of paper, and handed them over after cutting them into squares.
Shiller didn't say anything, just reproduced his neatly efficient folds.
Thor, who was two meters tall and whose back was wider than the door, was holding the thin paper in his fingers that were thicker than carrots. He was as gentle as if he was holding his tender heart beneath his rugged exterior.
Shiller quickly folded the paper again, unfolded it, and then refolded it. Thor clumsily tried to mimic him, but his attempts were awkward because he had never done this before.
Eddie, with his arm on the chair back, watched the two of them engrossed in their folding. In his heart, he said, "....you wanted to join in just now, didn't you?"
"I did not, I'm not that childish!" Venom quickly denied, but soon after he said with a huff, "If I really did join in, it would definitely be out of exasperation at this oaf's foolishness!"
"You're not any better than him." Eddie snorted disdainfully, "Every time you eat a chocolate ball, you swallow it together with the wrapper. Don't think I don't know that you just can't unwrap the candy foil... "
"Shut up! You damn coward! Apologize! Apologize now!"
In the end, Eddie also sat across from Thor, both practicing with their papers. Shiller sat directly in front of them, looking as though he was demonstrating, yet also repeating his mechanical moves.
The East, West, South, and North folds aren't complicated, but for those trying it for the first time, practice is required. Otherwise, the final product may not be flexible enough and might even jam while opening or closing.
Eddie folded for two minutes, and 1 minute 40 seconds of that time were spent arguing with Venom while vying for control of the body.
In the end, Venom won. The gigantic black creature appeared opposite the table. Its huge black claws, holding the tiny piece of white paper, were like holding his tender and innocent heart.
The three of them played with paper for many minutes until late into the night. Under the light, Eddie turned to look at Shiller's expression. He found no signs of anxiety or irritability, just focus and seriousness.
Truthfully, even the most entertaining paper toy can lose its appeal after a few hours.
The fun of paper folding lies in the process, and the result, a toy that can simply open and close, is less entertaining than swiping a smartphone in this intelligent era.
However, constantly moving his fingers and watching the paper from four different angles combine in different patterns gave Eddie a sense of calm. He said to Venom in his heart, "Do you remember why we came here?
"You said that you were looking for a completely new subject for news," Venom scoffed, his emotional side surfacing once again as he said:
"But news, it's like this toy. Two traits combine to create a new piece of news. That's compounded with another, creating yet another news story... Is that news?"
Sitting in a restaurant chair, Eddie heard his inner monologue, "...No, of course that's not news. That's not what news should strive to be. It's not new, nor is it real."
"What kind of 'real' are you searching for?" asked Venom, his voice vague, "The truth behind situations? The root of the issue?"
"No..." Eddie heard his inner voice respond, "There are already many excellent journalists on that path, but I want to walk a different one..."
As he immersed himself in his inner dialogue, the night deepened. The night sky was hanging low, with moonlight scattered everywhere.
The man with golden locks, after journeying across worlds, fell asleep in his chair due to exhaustion.
The slender black-haired doctor also slowly rested his head on the table and fell into a deep sleep.
A toy made from golden-red candy foil left in the middle of the table.
At this moment, the last shuttle of the night happened to pass by the window. The cold light from its headlights shone through the window and onto the candy foil, making it look like a fine, dense curtain of rain enveloping a wobbly umbrella.
At this intersection of a boring toy from an old era and the most functional transportation facility of the new age, Eddie had a sudden spark of inspiration.
So he began to speak, his deep voice echoing in the room.
"The times and technology have changed, but people have not."
"In this remarkable era of technology and exploration, people who are at a loss want to know where their futures lead. Ordinary people, excellent doctors, and great kings all feel the same."
"As a journalist fortunate enough to witness this changing era, the realness I aim to document isn't what lies at the end of the road. Instead, it's the genuine joy, pain, thirst for knowledge and frustration experienced by people in the process of seeking the answers..."
Eddie unfolded his creased paper and, with water-dipped fingertips, wrote a few words:
"What I want to document is the freshest, most genuine news - the surprising ordinary people I've encountered."