Korra struggled against the restraints, hoping that seventeen years of hard-earned muscle could rip through the metal. Then… then she'd knock down the wall in a similar fashion, and run to the safety of behind Tenzin's cloak, before…
Oh, crap.
Too late.
Korra's desperate plans to escape her probably furious girlfriend were thwarted when said girlfriend entered the room. Korra stopped struggling against her restraints, as if being the model prisoner would help her situation.
But when Korra looked up to face Lin, she didn't feel the desire to escape. Lin's angry look was not setting her on fire. Instead, Lin just looked tired.
"Korra," she said, dropping the file on the table and rubbing her fingers over her temples. "Why?"
"Baby, I am so sorry. I didn't mean to-"
"To what, Korra? To tear apart an entire street, smash a man through a window, and proceed to evade arrest?" Lin said, putting her hands on the table.
"He was Triple Threat-"
"He could've killed you," Lin said quietly.
"Lin… were you… do you worry about me?"
"Of course I worry about you!" Lin said. "You go out, hunting down triads every day-"
"That's my job. I'm the Avatar."
"Korra, these guys are the real deal. They will rape you, rob you, murder you… I cannot stress enough how dangerous it is for you to go looking for them. By yourself."
Korra took Lin's hand from the confines of her restraints. When she couldn't lift it to her mouth, she bent her head down to Lin's hand, kissing a knuckle before saying, "I'm sorry to have worried you."
"But not for going after the triad."
"Lin, you have to understand-"
"Come with me," Lin said. Korra stood from the chair, and Lin lifted the table restraints with metalbending. Lin guided Korra with a firm hand on her shoulder, while Korra's still-shackled hands twitched.
They ended up in Lin's office. Lin pushed Korra into the chair in front of her desk, before digging around in her desk for files. When she had a sizable stack, she stopped.
"Maylin Sung," she said quietly, opening the file. To the left, there was a picture of a pretty girl with black hair. On the right, however, was an underfed, ill-looking young woman with lank hair, sickly-looking skin, and dark shadows under her eyes. Bruises and cuts adorned her face. With a jolt, Korra realized it was the same girl.
Lin moved to the next file, "Li Jun." The man in the left picture was about Korra's age, with a girl on either arm. The right picture showed a bloody room, with a broken-looking man on the ground. "Permanently paralyzed from the neck down."
After opening the next file, Lin looked down, as if it were something she'd reviewed many times herself. When she spoke, she didn't look up again; either because she couldn't, or she didn't need to in order to recite the file. Her voice was thick, "Lao Yi, one of the finest young metalbenders the city had to offer. Lots of talent, lots of promise. Very handsome. Had a wife, a little girl, and another one on the way. Killed," Lin's voice cracked, "on the way to buy milk." The left picture showed a strikingly handsome young man with an air of modesty and attractive gray eyes. The right picture showed something that was simply too horrible to describe; it shocked the Avatar to tears.
"So, yes, Korra," Lin said, looking up. Her face was hard, but her eyes watered. "I worry."
Korra stood, walking over next to Lin. Lin turned her head away, so Korra kissed her cheek instead.
"I had no idea, Lin," Korra said softly. "And… you carry this around with you. There's a reason it's in the drawer, not some filing cabinet."
"They're people," Lin said softly. "Not numbers. They're people who I've failed."
"They aren't numbers, and they are people," Korra agreed in a soothing tone. "But you didn't fail."
She raised her shackled hands to cradle Lin's face, wiping away the tears with her thumbs.
"I won't go looking for the triads anymore," Korra said. "I don't want to cause you any more hurt."
"Thank you. That's a load off my shoulders." Lin slid the desk chair back to give room for Korra to sit in her lap.
Korra rested her head on Lin's shoulder, her breath tickling Lin's neck. Lin wrapped her arms around the Avatar, holding her to her body.
"If something's worrying you, or bothering you, or you want to vent, or cuddle, or fuck, or make love… please, come to me, Lin."
"I… will try. Please understand how difficult it is for me."
"I do," Korra said, kissing Lin's jaw. "And the effort makes my heart swell."
Lin allowed her head to rest on Korra's.
"If you tell anybody I cried…" Lin said a moment later.
"Nobody would believe me," Korra assured her.
Lin smiled into Korra's hair, "No. They wouldn't."