Valara has one goal: to be the greatest captain. Whether as a pirate or a mercenary, she is single-mindedly focused on accomplishing this goal. As a result, she's constantly on the look-out for opportunities to better her standing and that of her crew. This could mean claiming a better ship or securing a lasting contract of some fame. In fact, it also extends to the crew itself. If she sets her sights on someone she deems the perfect fit to help raise their fame, woe be unto them because she will chase after them with unerring confidence and tenacity.

Not everyone shares her goal, however, and she isn't overly understanding of this. She can become a pest and find herself in conflict with those that are opposed or indifferent to her goals, or would just rather she leave them alone.

Valara may be, primarily, a pirate presence free of such frivolities like "rules" and "chain of command" but that doesn't mean she has to act like it. Fancying herself a proper naval commander, she holds herself to the lofty standards she envisions a real navy would employ. This covers everything from etiquette and rules of engagement to even the way she carries herself. This is never more glaringly obvious than when she is surrounded by those who eschew civility in favour of selfishness.

More than once she has found herself under mutiny due to clashing ideals, as just because she dictates others follow her rules doesn't mean they're going to, and she's not overly understanding of any difference of opinion. Her ship, her rules.

Valara has forgotten as many books as some people have read in their entire lifetime. As a result, she likes to think of herself as a "learned" individual, leaning into the knowledge she has accumulated with no regard for what level others might have reached. She tends to let her readings come out in her mannerisms and vocabulary, resulting in a haughty or posh vibe that becomes something far more sassy when she feels she has to "lower herself" for others' understanding.

Making people feel like they're being talked down to is a recipe for disaster, and this can leave her alienating those that might otherwise be useful to her.

Valara is extremely touch-averse, to the point she goes out of her way to avoid any sort of skin contact with even inanimate objects and relies on clothing to shield her. This is a combination of phobia and the "curse" of her species, fearing the visions that may follow. To succumb to the visions is to lose control of herself and feel as if she's at the whims of something so far beyond her that she just would rather avoid it altogether. Further still, she would rather not know everyone's business around her. Especially if it's being handed to her by some metaphysical dictation.

Not one to explain herself, however, her aversion leads her to seeming cold and hostile towards others, refusing their friendly advances and setting herself apart and away.

When faced with the concept of combat, Valara would really rather not. In fact, she is quite dedicated to doing everything possible to avoid it. In a combat scenario, she will run the gambit of any number of methods from negotiations to outright fleeing before she will take to battle herself. This leads her to what might appear to be silly antics and acts of cowardice, though they're anything but. There's no value in the conflict to her and she would simply rather not waste her time, instead wasting her energy and everyone else's time in an effort to get around it.

This can make any fight much harder than it has to be, as her opponents can waste her energy and get in the first hit almost every time.

When faced with no other option, Valara becomes a commander, using people as weapons to be wielded like a scalpel through the heart of the problem. After all, she doesn't want to fight so why should she? That's for other people. They just may not know it, so she has to direct them to it. Only when she's exhausted every potential able body will she deign to fight with her own hands, with visible derision towards the activity itself that she finds so barbaric. At that point, she won't bother playing by the rules, trying to win by any means so long as it ensures her continued survival.

These actions can paint a confusing picture, one of elegant command and simultaneous cowardice.