"Toph, come on now. You're being irrational."
Tiny. Blind. Fragile. Helpless. That was what they had called her.
They'd thought her weak. Incapable. Unable to get by without others. As if she'd shatter like glass at the slightest provocation.
They didn't know how strong she really was. Mountains trembled at her passing. Men wept like children when her sightless gaze was focused on them. Nothing stood in her way and prevailed. She could do anything she wanted with no assistance required.
She wished. Though she wouldn't give up her unique form of vision for anything - not even true sight - there was no denying it had it's own share of problems. Relying on the earth to guide her was all well and good up until it stopped being there.
"Just take my hand, you'll be fine."
She was the Blind Bandit. She'd defeated the strongest earthbenders there were, men twice her height and many times her age. She'd invented a whole new type of bending on her own. She was rock incarnate. Unmovable. Indestructible. Enduring.
Standing ankle-deep in wet slush, completely shut off from everything she knew, Toph Beifong was truly blind. But a warm presence wrapped an arm around her shoulders, lifting her clear of the snow.
"I'll just carry you then." The voice was warm, with a teasing quality.
"I don't need help. M'not weak. I'm Toph Beifong, the strongest girl who ever lived." Her voice was muffled by his shoulder as he hugged her to his chest.
She was shaken a bit by the vibrations emanating from his body as he chuckled.
"Believe me, Toph, I know that. But being strong isn't about never needing anyone else. It's know when to let others help you that takes real strength."
Living under the oppressive rule of her parents had formed her character as a diamond forms under pressure. But even the earth must give way the the water, eroding under the constant waves.
She sighed, and snuggled deeper into him. She'd never thought much of his fighting abilities, but she knew that he was as strong as she was.