As well as being a skilled adventurer, Link is also very popular with the ladies, as evidenced by The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD's Item Check Crush side quest. As the name of the quest might suggest, Zelda isn't the only Skyloft resident with a thing for Link, with the Item Check girl Peatrice also developing feelings for the handsome hero over the course of his many visits to her counter.
Like most of the other side quests in the game, completing the quest will reward players with five Gratitude Crystals, which can be used to get wallet upgrades and other special items from Skyloft's resident monster, Batreaux. Where it differs from some of the other quests in Skyward Sword HD, however, is that players actually get to choose how they complete the quest, although, for the most part, at least, the end result remains largely the same.
Updated October 1, 2021 by Tom Bowen: There aren't too many moments in Skyward Sword HD where players are able to make choices for themselves. One of them comes during Peatrice's side quest, which players can get started on once they've visited the Item Check stall seven or eight times. What little agency players are given is snatched away by the quest's generic and largely inconsequential climax, though it arguably still makes for a nice change of pace.
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How To Start The Item Check Crush Side Quest
Assuming that players have already completed the Lost Child side quest and are regularly visiting the Item Check at Skyloft's bazaar, the basic requirements for unlocking the Item Check Crush side quest will be met naturally over time. Players will know when the quest is available when the Item Check girl Peatrice starts calling Link "Darling" whenever he visits. For those who just can't wait though, it is possible to speed up the process a little.
In order to unlock the quest early, players will need to speak with Peatrice and then visit any bed in Skyloft and sleep until morning. They'll then need to repeat this process multiple times, being sure to select positive options whenever a unique conversation with Peatrice takes place. After visiting her on seven or eight different days, she'll begin to refer to Link as "Darling" and players can finally get to work on initiating the quest.
With Peatrice completely infatuated, players will need to visit any bed, sleep until nighttime, and then pay a visit to Peatrice's house. It's just to the south of the Bazaar and is pretty easy to find, and players can even save themselves a journey by just sleeping in one of the beds there. Whichever bed they choose though, they won't be speaking to Peatrice during their visit, but instead, a man named Peater.
Some players will recognize Peater as the man who runs the Clean Cut mini-game on Bamboo Island, but he also happens to be Peatrice's father. The proud parent has noticed his daughter's recent change in behavior and is worried that she has gotten herself an unwanted admirer. He'll ask Link to help him to find out who the lowlife is and scare them away, promising to reward the young adventurer with an opportunity to spend some quality time with the apple of his eye if he helps.
From here, players will need to sleep until morning and then return to the Bazaar to speak with Patrice again. She'll ask Link to come to her house at night, so players should sleep until nighttime and then return to Peatrice's house and begin another conversation with her whenever they're ready. How exactly Link handles this delicate situation is now entirely up to the player, with two different options available to them.
Forbidden Love
The fastest and easiest way to complete the Item Check Crush side quest is to repeatedly select the dialogue options on the right, basically telling Peatrice that Link feels the exact same way about her as she does about him. After responding this way four times, Peatrice will eventually accept that Link is telling the truth, but acknowledges that a relationship is impractical at this time due to Link's ongoing adventures down on the surface world.
It's implied that something might happen between the pair once the world has been saved and Peatrice will hand over five shiny Gratitude Crystals as a way of saying thanks. She'll also continue to call Link "Darling" whenever he visits the Item Check, for those who were wondering. Not only is this the quickest way of getting the Gratitude Crystals, but it's also the nicest, with the other option resulting in Peatrice balling her eyes out.
A Broken Heart
Those who believe that Link is destined to be with Zelda or are perhaps just not that into the Item Check girl can instead opt to repeatedly choose the left-hand options when presented with dialogue choices. This entails Link telling Peatrice that he only sees her as a shopkeeper and that he has no feelings for her whatsoever. Understandably, perhaps, this will cause her to burst into tears and ask Link to leave, and she'll also stop calling him "Darling" whenever the two speak from here on out.
With the pair's "relationship" now completely broken off, players will need to sleep until nighttime once more before they can turn the quest in. If they're not already there, they should return to Peatrice's house and again speak with Peater, who is delighted to see that his daughter is no longer romantically entangled. He's so happy, in fact, that he decides to give Link five Gratitude Crystals as a reward; all while his heartbroken daughter sobs silently in the background.
Other Side Quests in Skyward Sword HD
- Lost Child
- Missing Sister
- Cleaning Pipit's House
- Fledge's Workout
- Fixing Fun Fun Island
- Haunted Restroom
- Missing Baby Rattle
- Pumpkin Harvest
- Broken Crystal Ball
- Beedle's Missing Beetle
- Owlan's Exotic Plant