Link’s got everything he needs to set sail for his next destination, but there’s still stuff he can do here on Windfall Island. The Killer Bees’ teacher is concerned about their lack of devotion to their studies, so she asks him to speak to them for her. Well, they’re not exactly thrilled for Link to be butting into their business, but they challenge him to a game of hide-and-seek. Unlike with the Bombers in Majora’s Mask, Link doesn't have Deku Scrub stun bubbles to keep them from running away, so he has to chase them, and this is where the guy pestering Link about his daughter starts to get old. Anyway, they all get caught, Link gets a heart piece, there’s peace between the kids and the teacher, and they even get Link to find a Joy Pendant and give it to her for them. She loves the Joy Pendants, and asks Link to bring more to her if he finds them.
Finally, there’s Salvatore. I’m not sure what his deal is, exactly, but he hangs around a shop running a Battleship minigame for kids, including Link. When he’s not running the game, he looks and acts terminally bored. When he starts introducing the game, he has a little skit he does, complete with wooden face cutouts for the admiral who puts Link in charge of defending the island from the attacking squids, and after the game’s done, the children thanking Link for saving the island. His announcements of hits and misses during the game are entertaining, too: “Spliiish…” and “Ka-BOOOM!” Rewards for the game include a heart piece and two treasure maps.
Now it’s time to hoist the sail and explore the seas. Only Link can’t do too much exploring; if he tries to go any direction but east, the King of Red Lions takes control and says, “No, we can’t go that way yet.” So, fine, east it is. A little bit of rebellion is possible; there’s an island between Windfall and the one Link’s being led to that Link can explore. There’s a heart piece on the island, giving Link a full heart container. Near the island there’s a little boat with a bunch of people in diving helmets who give Link a treasure map and tell him to find a grappling hook so he can search for treasure.
Finally, Link arrives at his destination, Dragon Roost Island, so named because there’s a giant dragon, Valoo, roosting on top of the island. Valoo has an item Link needs for his quest, Din’s Pearl, so Link needs to find a way to get him to give it to him. He suggests asking the locals, the Rito, for help. Before Link goes, he’s given one last item, a conductor’s baton called the Wind Waker. This lets him get the wind to play songs, although he doesn’t actually learn any of those songs so right now it’s just a fancy stick he can’t even poke people with. Sailing around the island is a merchant who sells bait and bags to keep it in. I’m not sure if I’ll need it, but rupees seem to flow pretty freely in this game, so why not.
Getting to the Rito village requires a bit of climbing, including blowing up rocks with bomb flowers. Once he enters, he’s greeted by the postman – the Rito are his people. He offers to talk to his chieftain about helping Link, but of course it isn’t so easy. Something has made Valoo angry, which threatens his coexistence with the Rito – it’s by his grace that they grow wings. Komali, the chieftain’s son has reached the age where he’s supposed to meet with Valoo and get a dragon scale, but given the situation, it’s not going to happen any time soon and the chieftain worries about his son sinking into despair, and asks Link to talk to him. He also asks Link to bring something to Komali that he’d already entrusted to another Rito, Medli. The postman – whose name is Quill, by the way – gives Link a third bag, a Delivery Bag.
Exploring the village, Link comes to the letter sorting station. This opens a minigame where he can toss letters into cubicles, getting paid for each one he does, with the goal of making 25 in a single try. It’s frustrating, because the time limit’s strict, and it comes down to which comes up more: being able to toss multiple letters into the same cubicle in a row, or having to alternate between opposite corners. When Link finally does it, he gets a nice prize, but the guy brings on a new helper to sort the mail. If Link returns, the helper asks to see Link’s legendary 25-letter sort, which means he has to do it all over again. The reward for this time is a getting to drop a letter in the mailbox for the helper.
Next: Valoo might want to reconsider its seating arrangement.
