"What happened to her?" Korra asked in a whisper, speaking for the first time since the alleyway.

She had been working on the girl's wrists for the last half hour, all the while, the kid hadn't let go of Asami's neck, her wide-open eyes following Korra's every movement, as if expecting Korra to suddenly turn against her.

She had initially freaked out at the iridescent blob of water, but Asami held her tight and once Korra managed to place the healing water on her skin, her whole body relaxed all at once, a high-pitched sigh escaping her lips.

Korra's heart hurt for the girl. For a child so young to lash out like that, she must have been truly terrified. Korra prefer not to think on what, or rather who caused that kind fear. Instead she kept working on her injuries meticulously, slowly as to announce every move to the girl before it was done. Finally, she had given up her vigil and fallen asleep, body limp against Asami. Only then, Korra dare to break the silence.

"The police restrained her, but she kept shooting flames, so the wire burned her" Asami responded a few seconds later, her voice sounding robotic, Korra noticed, a little alarmed. She knew that meant Asami's mind had gone somewhere else. Sometimes to places Korra didn't know how to pull her out of.

"You can turn her around, I'm done with her wrists" Korra kept talking, luring Asami to reality again. "I didn't mean the burns, I'm talking about the scars"

"Which scars?" Asami carefully shifted the girl from her chest to laying on her lap, arms on her belly. She took a better look at the markings from earlier, she had confused them with burns but they looked older and more… permanent than the ones inflicted by the heated wired, now almost imperceptible thanks to Korra's healing. They originated from a single line traced along her middle finger and expanded like a fan throughout her hand and wrist wrapping around her forearm. Pink serpents tracing erratic paths on the skin. Almost like a jellycrab sting.

"She has them in her legs as well" Korra said in horror, as she rolled up the legs of her pants to reach the burned ankles. The girl tossed a little at the contact, so Korra hurried to resume the healing, not to disturb her rest.

"Who did this to you?" Asami whispered, not to Korra, but to the girl, stroking the sleeping face with the back of her hand. The water Korra was bending trembled slightly around the girl's ankles, suddenly shaken by the scene.

"Don't worry, I'm gonna find out" Korra said, her voice low. And she meant it.

Lin approached the two women. She looked drained, having just sent the last few of her officers home after taking every kid to the station, and dealing with most of the wreckage.

"I hate when kids are involved" she spat loudly, reclining herself on the side of one of the police cars, next to where Asami and Korra were seated on the ground. "Want a blanket?" She answered at the scolding glares the women gave her.

"I don't think she needs it, she feels hot" Asami whispered, placing a hand on the girl's forehead.

"She should be, after producing all that fire" Lin caught on and lowered her voice "She might be the one who sent the place up in flames, none of the other kids seemed to be benders"

"No, the fire wasn't blue when we arrived, she produces blue flame" Asami paused "Wait, there were other kids?" she looked at Korra.

"Yeah, about a dozen more, hidden in a basement" something clicked in Korra's head "I believe I saw similar scars on some of them, I thought they were painted on, like the drawings on the triad's faces" she stared at the lightning-like scars climbing up the girl's leg "Did the kids say something about it?"

"They were… confused, to say the least" Lin seemed to be choosing her words carefully "They kept talking about a monster, or a shadow, maybe both" she clicked her tongue. "I just hope to find their parents soon so they can forget about all of this"

"Were you able to contact any of the families?" Asami said, her gaze still fixed on the sleeping child.

"A couple of them matched the description of a bunch of kids that disappeared around the same time" she said, fingers pinching the bridge of her nose "But that doesn't even account half of the kids we found today"

"Some of them didn't seem to be from Republic City either" Korra added.

"She looks Water tribe" Lin commented, nodding towards the girl.

"Only she firebends" said Korra.

"Only she firebends" Lin agreed with a sigh "If they were kidnapped and smuggled from other nations the process might drag for weeks, longer if they are orphans"

"Where will they stay in the meantime?" Korra asked, slowly easing the healing water off the girl's skin.

"We will have to find families to take them in for the time being"

"We can take her" Korra blurted out. Asami shoot her a killer look, her green eyes flaring with sudden anger.

"There is no need, we can bring her to the station, we will need her testimony eventually anyways. She may know more than the other kids, managing to escape and all…- Lin intercepted, catching on the tacit disagreement between the women.

"No, there is no need for that" Asami spoke with a raspy voice "We'll bring her to you, until then we'll take care of her" Korra winced at her tone. It was a fight waiting to happen.