Topaz spent the next day dreaming about and preparing for the night of Cloud's big battle. At one point, she looked in her closet and found something horrible: she found she had nothing good to wear. She madly dug through her whole wardrobe, but discarded one outfit after the other. "Too casual. Too fancy. Too slutty. Too matronly. Too...bleargh. Ack! What am I going to do?"
Then Topaz had an epiphany. Why, of course! Shopping! She gathered her special savings (4,678 munny) and set a manual course for Traverse Town. As she navigated her way past asteroids and Heartless ship formations, she smiled to herself. It's been the longest time since I've gone shopping. I can't wait! This'll be so much fun!
The Snow Raven touched down at last in Traverse Town. Topaz changed into the perfect shopping outfit (jeans, of course, and a butterfly-patterned shirt that cinched slightly around the waist–very flattering), grabbed the purse with her munny in it, and set out on her quest for the perfect party clothes.
She began her search at the item shop, since they carried all manner of things there. She asked the three young ducks who ran the place, Huey, Dewey and Louie, if they had any party dresses in stock. Dewey looked uncomfortable. "Uh...I think we have a few, miss. But we don't have many. Louie and Huey...?" The other two small ducks scrambled into a back room. They emerged a few moments later with a small rack of colorful garments. "This is every dress we have," said Huey. Topaz flashed them a smile. "Thanks."
Topaz began to look through the rack. First, she found a shapeless monstrosity of ivory eyelet material. Ew. This might have been fashionable about seventy years ago. Next was an emerald green velvet gown, complete with gold trimmings on the long sleeves and skirt. This is pretty, but way too fancy. Then came a horrible frock in red-and-white plaid that had a super-short skirt which was squeezed over several petticoats. What the heck is this? It's atrocious!
Dress after dress proved insufficient. Topaz found the stock to be like a bad thrift store; there was nothing any sane person would wear.Soon,she had gone through the entire rack, and nothing seemed to work. Louie said, "We're sorry we could help you, miss. Can we get you anything else?" Topaz leaned on the wooden counter. "Um...a chocolate bar, please. Thanks."
As Topaz munched her chocolate, she asked the three little ducks where else she could find a dress. "There are stores in the Second District, right? What about those?" Huey shook his head. "Sorry, miss, but you must not have been here in a while. Those shops have been closed for months because of the Heartless. Try the Accessory Shop instead."
Topaz followed Huey's suggestion and went to the nearby Accessory Shop. "Hello," she said amiably to the clerk at the counter. "Do you have any party dresses here?" The clerk snorted. "No. This is an accessory shop, not a clothier." Topaz's eyes flashed a little. "Um...excuse me?" "You heard me," retorted the clerk. "Dresses aren't accessories, last time I checked. Peh! Young people these days." Topaz felt herself bubble with rage. That ungrateful son of a...! No, no, Topaz. Calm down. The sugar from that chocolate is affecting you! Don't explode on this guy! But it was too late.
"You loser! What kind of a moron would talk to a customer like that? What are you, huh? Some sort of Heartless pig? No, I take it back–you're not a pig. You're a boar! What the heck are you even thinking? You can't be good for business! And last time I checked, Cid ran this place! Where is he anyway? You could learn a lot from him! Not only is he a lot more buff than you, he knows how to treat customers well! I am not coming back here again!" With that, Topaz turned on her heel and left the astonished clerk by himself.
"That was...interesting," breathed Topaz to herself. Maybe I was a little hard on him, but how could a guy like that even...! Ugh. I gotta leave. I have a perfect dress to find.
Topaz made her way to her ship. Immediately, she set a course for Agrabah, thinking of the vast market streets there. The perfect dress was probably waiting for her in some market stall.
After a shortish drive, Topaz arrived in the desert world of Agrabah. She had only been here once before, but everyone had been scared away by Jafar, the evil vizier. Topaz knew now from Sora that Jafar was dead, so she was free to shop. Happily and hopefully, she stepped through the city gates, not quite knowing what she'd find.
It was like nothing Topaz had ever seen. The streets themselves seemed to be alive with movement and color, there were so many people. Men, women and children bought and sold dozens of different things in the stalls that lined the road. Topaz saw produce stands, rug weavers, livestock sellers, jewelers' booths, perfume and makeup makers, bakery stalls, and even one area where "harmless and tamed" Heartless were being sold. Topaz glared at the Heartless sellers. That is downright awful. I wonder if Nika got that Shadow of hers here?
At last, Topaz found what she was looking for. Off in a corner was a dressmaker's booth, adorned with banners of brightly-colored silk that read Baba Nina's Dress Shop. Topaz couldn't help but smile. Wow! Finally! This looks promising.
She greeted the dressmaker jubilantly. "Hi there. I'm looking for a party dress...one that I'll wear to Olympius Colosseum. Do you have anything of that sort?" The dressmaker, an older woman with dark skin and silvery hair, grinned. "Oh yes, of course! Old Baba Nina has just what you need, child! Come." The woman led Topaz to a display of the most beautiful garments Topaz had ever seen. They were all a mass of wild and nameless colors, each different in style and texture. It was quite a sight.
Baba Nina gestured proudly toward the dresses. "Choose any one that speaks to you, child. You do not pick the dress; the dress picks you."
Topaz looked up in awe at the wall of clothing. There were short dresses, long dresses, velvet and satin and silk and linen dresses, dresses adorned with lace or gemstones or metallic fringe. Some dresses were simple, hardly more than a skirt and bodice, while others were ornate, with sleeves like tapestries and patterns that resembled the sky or the sea. Topaz gazed at each and every one, and finally, her eyes came to rest on one that absolutely perfect.
It was a pale shade of lavender with a gold trim. It flowed freely like water, except in the spots where it was gathered gracefully with golden thread. The long sleeves were split from just below the shoulder to just below the cuff, designed to elegantly show the wearer's bare arm. The skirt was relatively short, and the dress itself seemed to be made of a cross between silk and linen. For Topaz, it was love at first sight.
She stared longingly at the majestic dress. Baba Nina followed her gaze. "Ah. That one is a very fine choice for you, my dear. It will show off your golden eyes." "How much is it?" asked Topaz, a little dazedly. Baba Nina crossed her arms. "Well, normally, I would charge 3,000 munny for a dress of that kind. You have fine tastes, child. But...I will charge you 2,000 munny for it." The old woman winked. "I can tell it is for a special night."
Topaz bought the dress without hesitation. Inside, she was dancing with joy. I got it! I got it! It's more perfect than any dress in the history of dresses forever and ever! This'll be perfect!
Before leaving Agrabah, Topaz purchased a pair of gold chandelier earrings that matched her dress and fluttered exotically against her neck when she moved. She couldn't have been happier at that moment in time. She was in good health, she had munny, she could write, she was safe, and her first real encounter with the man of her dreams would definitely be a good one.
At last, the big day came. Topaz woke up quite a bit earlier than usual, she was so consumed by excitement. She trekked to Wonderland, to the tranquil Lotus Forest, to try and soothe her mind, but everything she saw reminded her of Cloud. She was completely infatuated.
She settled beneath a big red flower to edit her Sora story. She noted happily that it was coming along quite nicely, and before long, it would be finished. I wonder if Cloud would like my writing...? Eek! There I go again! Topaz blushed to herself, dizzy with the way she couldn't concentrate on anything. The moments seemed to crawl by like hours, until finally...
Topaz was eating dinner in her ship when she glanced at the clock. "Oh! Time to get ready!" She could hardly believe it was the big night. It was really here! More than once, Topaz pinched herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming. It's real! It's really real! And if this is some sort of dream, don't let me wake up.
Topaz glided around, dusting and painting on a little makeup (not too much–she didn't want to look like a clown) and getting dressed. She swept her hair into a neat bun, leaving one wavy lock down to frame her face. The excitement in the air was so sharp and thick, it seemed to have a presence of its own.
The ship rumbled along on its auto-piloted route to Olympius Colosseum. Topaz fussed and fidgeted endlessly in the mirror, fine-tuning her makeup and hair, until at last she felt the ship land. Turning to the mirror one last time, she blew herself a kiss for confidence. She slipped on comfy leather sandals with short wedge heels, grabbed her invitation, and departed for the best night of her young life.
Outside the lobby, everything was dark and quiet. Topaz shivered. I've never been here this late before. She strode towards the door to the lobby and found a monster of a man blocking the door. Timidly, she handed the invitation to the hulking guard. He looked over the paper, grunted, and stepped aside. Topaz's heart fluttered. All right, let's go. It's time...