Post by Mod Squad on Oct 1, 2017 1:24:38 GMT -6
NTH OF N, 172 AG
ONLY ¥ 1.00
Republic City Times
Republic City's #1 Newspaper — Breaking news edition
Missing benders reappear
No Memory, No Information... No Bending.
Republic City (AP) — In a bittersweet turn of events, six families woke up this morning to find their missing loved ones unceremoniously dumped in front of their homes. The missing benders, most notably the retired probender Liang Wulong, have been returned safely and physically unharmed — but completely unable to bend.
"It's... different, somehow," says a returned victim who does not wish to be identified. "It's not like chi-blocking, where you can feel your abilities as if from behind a wall. It's just... nothing. Like it never existed."
Healers at Republic City Hospital are baffled. "There is, physically, nothing wrong with any of them," says a hospital spokesperson. "Despite extensive testing with both modern technology and waterbending, each victim shows no sign of any harm or disability. No chakra points were blocked, there was no mind-altering like in the historic case of Dai Li brainwashing, and bloodbending has not been used to alter their abilities. The only diagnosis we are able to provide at this time is that the individuals in question are nonbenders, and from a physiological standpoint they might as well have been nonbenders from birth."
When asked about their captivity, the victims were unable to provide any new information to the police. "I don't know," said Liang Wulong. "I came home and there was a weird sort of quiet about the house. Then everything went black — I felt no pain, I just blacked out." This is in direct contradiction to what the RCPD found at the scene the morning after Wulong disappeared, as there was evidence of a struggle in the master bedroom. Wulong insists that he has no memory of an altercation. "I don't know," he repeated. "Everything just went black."
As far as the rumours of the Galgori Six having orchestrated these disappearances, newly-appointed Chief of Police Jin Calayag insists there is nothing to fear. "There has never been any proof, historically, of the existence of the Six, just rumour and circumstantial evidence. What we are most likely looking for are disgruntled members of the Equalist movement who fell for Amon's schemes. My working hypothesis is an advanced form of chi-blocking that, with time, the talented staff at Republic City Hospital will figure out how to reverse."
In the meantime, Chief Calayag urges anyone with information to contact the RCPD by asking the operator to connect to Downtown 0275 and offers a ¥ 1,000 reward for information that leads to the capture of the perpetrator or perpetrators of these kidnappings.
— Hua Nianzu
| EYE ON REPUBLIC CITY |  | DEAR ROHANA: NEIGHBOUR PAINS! |
Has anyone noticed a new courier company lately? As I, your "man-about-town" Kim Eun Jung made my rounds this week, I noticed an increasing amount of couriers in a uniform I'm not familiar with. Every time I tried to get a closer look, though, they'd disappear into the crowd. I tried asking at City Hall if anyone had applied for a new business license for messaging services, but the answer was 'no'. I had no luck with the RCPD either and the front desk very helpfully told me to 'stop wasting police time'. If you've seen one of these mysterious delivery boys, write to me, Kim Eun Jung, care of the Republic City Times to tell me your story!  | | Dear Rohana: New neighbours recently moved into the unit below mine and I just can't stand how much noise their baby makes! It cries so much, even in the middle of the night. Then on top of that, they don't make an effort to participate in the neighbourhood community! How do I tell my new neighbours to get with the program without seeming unfriendly? — SLEEPLESS IN THE BOROUGHS Dear SLEEPLESS: I hate to break it to you, but you are unfriendly. I guarantee those new parents are keenly aware that their baby is crying. I can only presume that you've never had the task of raising a child if you think it is within the parents' constant control to make sure the baby is silent. Babies cry. They cry when they're hungry, when they're tired, when they're upset, when they're sick. That's just a fact of life. If you want to actually be a good neighbour, why don't you try to help? Bake a casserole for them so they don't have to juggle the baby and making dinner; offer to babysit so that they can get a break; return their rubbish bins to their spot so they don't have to. Try and be understanding to the fact that they're dealing with a brand new little person in their lives. I think you'll find that with renewed energy your new neighbours will be much better company during your neighbourhood get-together, provided you get used to babies doing what they do. — Rohana |