She's not like other girls, and he likes that about her. She's strong… but she's also wounded. Scarred. But she never lets anyone see it. She's a master of disguise, and she doesn't even need her eyesight to fool every living creature around her…
She's magnificent.
He knows she's fine on her own, and that scares him sometimes. What if one day she's his, and she realizes she doesn't need him after all? She's been perfect in independence ever since she ran away…
And now she sat alone, one foot on the ground on which she sat, the other dangling over the shallow cliff side. There was a shallow drop, then a beautiful lake underneath, which he knew she couldn't see. But she felt it, he was sure.
He walked over and sat next to her.
"Don't you ever get tired of being alone?" he asked, his tone joking but his question serious.
She shrugged.
"Sometimes it's nice to be alone," she said. He searched for a double meaning in her words. He was sure there was one hidden in them somewhere.
"Yeah, but not all of the time…" He looked down at the glimmering water, finding himself wishing she could know the way it sparkled.
"I wouldn't really know. Usually, people just see…" she trailed off, seeming to change her mind about speaking.
"See what?" he asked, after a moment of silence had passed.
"I'm either a blind freak or otherwise the girl to stay away from to most people," she confided with a twinge of hurt in her voice. A single tear threatened to fall from her blind eye. "And if it's not one of those, people just want to protect me, because I'm blind… Well, I don't need their help. I don't need anyone's help…" Tears began to roll down her pale cheeks. Sokka pulled her into a hug.
"Toph… no one can make it alone all of the time…" he said softly into her hair. "I admire your strength and independence… but with that comes weakness in itself…"
"Don't you think I know that?" she said sharply. He continued to hold her, gently. He softly kissed the top of her head.
"I know you know… You know very well…"
He held her and let her sob quietly into him until she was ready to speak again. She wiped her eyes with her fist, then shrugged away. She then punched him violently in the shoulder.
"Ow!" he yelped.
She sat quietly for a moment more.
"Hey, Sokka…?" she said quietly.
"Yeah?"
"… Thanks ... for, you know… understanding, I guess… But if you tell anyone about this… You're dead meat, Snoozles," she threatened.