Warnings: Zuko/Toph friendship.

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per-spec-tive (noun)
1. the science of painting and drawing so that objects represented have apparent depth and distance
2. the aspect in which a subject or its parts are mentally viewed; especially: a view of things (as objects or events) in their true relationship or relative importance

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His companion was frowning. He supposed there was nothing new about that.

"This sucks," she announced to the marketplace. Some bystanders actually paused in their actions to look at them.

Zuko, less than bothered by the attention, chose to respond to her instead. "Sorry I'm such a drag to hang out with," he said, his tone mildly biting.

"Not that!" she said loudly again, as if disappointed that he didn't understand. "Why did everyone else get such good field trips with you? Why did I get boring searching for Aang, and now, stupid grocery shopping?" she said grocery shopping with so much scorn that Zuko considered laughing.

He didn't often feel the need to cheer people up. But he identified with Toph on some level that he had yet to name, so he made an effort. "I think we'll have a good field trip one of these days."

She crossed her arms behind her head, her elbows sticking straight up in the air. "Huh. Are you saying we'll stay friends, even though you're a big Fire Lord now? That was almost mushy, Princess."

Zuko laughed gallantly, considering the fact that she'd called him Princess.

She went on. "Why did they send us out? I'm blind. And you couldn't cook food to save your life, much less pick it out."

He felt affronted. "Who says?"

Toph just leveled a stare at him. For a blind girl, she sure knew how to communicate with her eyes.

He cleared his throat. "Okay, you're right," he admitted. "But we have a list," he said a tad triumphantly, pulling it out of his pocket.

"Which I can't read!" she exclaimed sarcastically. "Great."

"That's my job," he said matter-of-factly. He looked down at the long list in his hand. It was jam-packed full of nonsensical things like flying lemur treats and seal jerky. Did they honestly expect Zuko and Toph to find these things in the Fire Nation?

It was then that something came flying at his knees, almost knocking him over. A raised piece of earth, courtesy of Toph, helped prop him up. ("I expected better reflexes from you, Princess.") Looking away from the grocery list, he saw that the thing was, in fact, a little girl.

She was sobbing into the thigh of his pants and blubbering things he couldn't understand. Her hot tears came quickly, soaking the cotton of his pants in record time.

He didn't know what to do! She was so little. He couldn't understand a word she was saying.

He kept his hands carefully away from her, but asked, "What's wrong?"

She jerked her hand up and pointed down the street. "Them!" she cried. He followed her finger to a group of boys around the same age as she. "They called me ugly!"

Oh, dear. He was not one to offer condolences, unless she found "get over it" or "I'll burn them for you" comforting. Somehow, he doubted either would yield the effects he desired.

Surprisingly, it was Toph who bent down to kneel next to the girl. "Hey, you don't have to listen to them," she said. Her tone was surprisingly serious, tempered by an unexpected amount of maturity. The girl looked up and through her tears into Toph's blind eyes.

"People will say things. But you can choose whether or not to believe them."

"And it all depends on your perspective," Zuko added, surprising himself a little, inspired by Toph's not-quite tough love. "What is ugly to some people might be beautiful to others."

Toph shifted her weight towards him. He supposed this was what she did in place of looking people in the eyes. "Like Zuko here," she said, jabbing a thumb in his direction, "How does he look to you?"

The girl looked up at him, her giant, slightly-less-watery eyes focusing instantly on his scar. Then her eyes went elsewhere. "Strong," she said. She took her job very seriously.

"Well, those boys seem to think he looks cool," Toph said now, drawing the little girl's attention to the gaggle of boys gaping at Zuko. Bald admiration graced each of their faces. The little girl caught a bit of jealousy from them, too. How did she know this cool guy and they didn't? She flushed with a bit of pleasure. She looked up at both Zuko and Toph.

"And me? Well, I think he looks a bit goofy," - the girl giggled and Zuko scowled - "but that's only what I think."

Zuko bent down and the girl let go of his soaked pants. Now, he let his hands find her upper arms and keep a gentle hold. "Are you going to let them change your mind?"

The girl shook her head no.

"Are you going to let her," - he eyed Toph - "change your mind?"

The girl laughed and shook her head again.

Zuko gave her a rare smile and a firm nod. The little girl looked up at Toph. Zuko gave Toph's leg a poke, and Toph knew to say, "Go get 'em!"

The girl rocketed off. They watched her sprint like a mini-gazelle. Zuko was silently glad she wasn't still holding his pants when she'd run off.

"Well, Princess," Toph said now, standing up and walking, "who knew you'd be so good with kids?"

Zuko stood and walked slightly behind her. "I could say the same for you."

Toph shrugged and spit, barely missing a pigeon. It flapped its wings and lost a few feathers, but was fine, otherwise.

"So," he said, making it a point to look at her, even though she didn't know it, "you think I look goofy?"

Toph snorted. "I can't see, in case you forgot."

He spotted a cart selling jerkies out of the corner of his eye and chose to ignore it. "But you've gotta have an idea of what I look like. Do you see me as goofy in your mind's eye?"

She drew her eyebrows down over her eyes. "Are you torturing me?"

He almost snorted. He most definitely was, but she didn't need to know. He would've felt cruel, playing on her lack of sight this way, except she was in no way a victim. Her particular brand of forwardness and honesty brought out something in him, what could he say?

And she'd made fun of him first.

"You are," she confirmed. "I can feel you trying not to laugh."

"Well, do you?" he pushed.

"No, doofus," she said. Zuko could tell she was trying to act like she was mad, but her tiny bit of a smile said otherwise. "I couldn't care less what you look like."

"You've got it in perspective," he said. Then he set off in the direction of the seal jerky.

Toph's smile made it into her voice. She followed after him. "Sure, Princess."