Valax Astrand's Links
Valax trusts in Asterot with his whole heart. There has not been a moment in his life where Asterot has not been near enough to pull him out of trouble, nor has there been a trouble too great for Asterot to handle. This unbreakable trust is a solid foundation for their relationship, of course, and it has carried them through years of travel. While Vally's trust in Asterot has helped them in many ways, it has also made them develop an unusual personality. Valax is reckless, making decisions based only on how they're feeling in the moment. Valax often finds themselves in precarious situations, and due to their lack of combat prowess, they often just have to... Wait for someone else to save them. Vally is much more of a damsel than a fighter! Unfortunately, with Asterot away on business so often, they've lost a bit of vital support and their antics can get them into much stickier situations than they used to. Valax loves Asterot as a father, of course, but he can't help but feel like Asterot is keeping something from him. It's a little bit worrying for Valax, always receiving care and salvation and not being able to help with whatever's going on. Unfortunately, Asterot is famously reticent to share feelings, so it's unlikely he'd come to Valax for any kind of emotional conversation...
Asterot wants to protect Valax from the world. It's a little shocking to have something so plainly good come out of such a dark place. In Asterot's efforts to protect Valax from their own past and from harm of all kinds, he's held back some important information. Valax knows nothing of the place they were made in, or that they were made at all. Valax knows nothing about the dragons of Fodlan beyond the standard tales, nothing of their destruction or of their progress. Valax knows nothing about Emrys, which is probably a good thing. Asterot is sometimes frustrated by their actions, but it doesn't often show. He just wants Valax to grow up happy, without the scars of Agartha or of loss.
Qingyue is his dad's best friend (not that that's saying much) and is also kind of a doormat, so Valax likes to spend time with him sometimes. He's a really interesting guy, in his own way - he just doesn't show it. Valax is one of the only people who will listen to his longwinded stories, flipping through a tome or doodling while he explains structure after structure, setback after setback. It's kind of just background noise, but that doesn't seem to hamper Qingyue's excitement at all... Valax has half a mind to ask the students of the Golden Deer to quiet down during class time to let the man lecture in the actual classroom, but after looking through the window one morning, they decided against it. Beyond that, they decided against visiting the Deer again at all. Too much!
Qingyue took an interest in Valax since they first arrived with Asterot, mostly just because of their connection with the man. After all, it took him ages to warm up to Asterot, so it's genuinely shocking to see Asterot speak up to defend someone. It makes him feel like he's actually lost his mind to see the Second-in-Command pet someone's hair. Valax is quiet around Qingyue, letting him rave for as long as he'd like. This is an exceedingly rare opportunity, considering the volume of Garreg Mach's halls on any day. Qingyue wouldn't go as far as saying they're friends by any means, but their company is a welcome break from his usual trials.
Whenever Valax sees Emrys and Asterot in the same room, Asterot has the weirdest look on his face... Emrys seems really odd around him too... Valax can only assume they have some kind of grudge against each other..? Obviously, Emrys is the same race as them, and Valax has never heard of him or seen a single word from him before being brought here. It really annoys them that Emrys brought Asterot here just to stare at him all the time and order him around! Valax obviously shows their allegiance to Asterot whenever Emrys is around by being snarky or turning tail and avoiding him. It's even more annoying that Asterot won't explain what the problem is! Valax can't help but try to look into the archbishop when they think they'll be able to get away with it. It's really hard to upset Asterot, so it must be really bad! How come the archbishop seems so clean! It doesn't make any sense at all!!!
What a strange little...? Although Emrys is quite the absent figure himself, he isn't so absent to not notice that Valax is particularly in Asterot's charge. He can clearly see why, though their age is a mystery to him. Asterot is content with not seeking answers from those around him, and Emrys must respect that, though he can't help but be so incredibly curious and wish to know. How can such a sweet looking child be such a... a... a brat? He truly wishes to mend this bridge so as to know more...! Asterot you don't know how much this eats at him inside...!
Lucian seems pretty cool. Obviously, he's a fan of Asterot, which means he has good taste! They hang out sometimes. Valax isn't really into the big axe wielding types, but Lucian seems more sensitive than most. Thumbs up!
Valax is a curious kind. Lucian notices them all over the monastery, and, due to his fondness for studying Asterot at a distance, has noticed their companionship. Every now and then, Lucian offers a wave, a smile, or even a treat; he loves to hear of Valax's travels over a nice snack, whenever they're willing to share.
She's one of Valax's favorite people in the church! Valax loves to learn more traditional healing arts with her guidance, and it's fun to sit with her and be pampered for a while. She's so sweet, Valax makes excuses to spend time in the nurse's office. She's kind of like the mom they never had. Angeline knows a lot about things that Asterot doesn't care about, like magic, Fodlan, and natural healing. Valax feels like they get a balanced view by studying with her.
This little pet! Look at them! When was the last time they had eaten? ...Oh, a stomach ache? Come, come, lay in the bed... perhaps you'd like to read one of her favorite book series while you rest. She adores little Valax and fights the urge to twirl their hair for them. Her motherly instincts are on overdrive seeing this silly little teacup walk through the door...
Doryu is super cool! He's like Valax's opposite, but they still get along really well. Valax gets to talk about all the dragon stuff he has to hold back around humans and he gets to hear about Doryu's life without other dragons. They have a vested interest in getting Doryu more information about dragonhood, so they begged Asterot to help out sometimes. Valax feels like they're pretty similar people, so they seek him out to chat often. They were excited to come to Garreg Mach to be around humans, but now they feel like their best friends are still dragons..
Doryu loves Valax! He gets along really well with him and enjoys babbling to him about class or gossip or fun things he’s learned. When Valax talks about dragon stuff it’s a lot easier for him to digest because he doesn’t need to respond like he knows what they’re talking about. And he likes talking about all the cool things he gets up to that Valax finds interesting. The way Valax talks about dragons gets him interested, so he appreciates when they relay information from Asterot to him in ways he can better understand. Doryu was excited to make more friends too… but suddenly he’s thrust with information he’s struggling to deal with. He’s a wah…?