Malia Gillian was known a bit as the town bother, the odd one of the bunch. She didn’t fall in line as easily as most would, she had different ambitions than someone in a dying down should, and people noticed. She wanted to help people, to go out and find ways to make life easier for people like those of her town, but apparently since she’s ‘not a strider’ she’s ‘incapable.’ At least, that’s what her father told her. With long, light brown hair and green eyes that tend to stand out, she didn’t feel as if she fit in in this small town. But nonetheless, after an incident that took her father’s life, her free spirited mind became dormant, and she numbly followed whatever lines set. Well, for the most part.<br/><br/>Word of the new strider spread quickly, as there wasn’t much ground to cover. Their town was small, many of their members had been picked off over the years, it was only natural. Malia was walking down the small road, on her way back to her own small hut when she first handedly became aware of the new strider in their town. With the death of the previous one, everyone had been on recent edge, and precautions were made to ensure the safety of everyone in the town. She stopped in her tracks, curiously watching as the gate guards let in the unknown man, her eyes flickering over his stature. They led him towards the same shack their previous strider occupied, and for a moment, made eye contact with the man.<br/><br/>Unlike many others, she wasn’t afraid of the striders, she’d spoken to their other one on many accounts and, even though he wasn’t the friendliest specimen in the world, she got along fine with him. She wanted to do the same with this one, and as she set down her things and took a step in his general direction, she felt two hands clamp down on her shoulfers, spinning her around. She looked up to the boy with the raven black hair in annoyance. Her brother.<br/><br/>“Oliver, seriously, I wasn’t going to do anything stupid.” She protested the young man.<br/><br/>“Yeah you say that, can’t you just at least let him get settled in before you scare him off,” he smirked down to her, giving her a shove in the direction of their hut.<br/><br/>She sighed, but obeyed, giving one last look in the direction the strider disappeared to, before slowly making her way back to the hut. She’d have to get creative in ways to talk to him, her mother wasn’t fond of Striders themselves. She’d just have to wait until he came back out, no way she’d be able to get past people if she walked up to his shack. She sat outside her small home, a battered old book in her hand as she flipped through the pages, glancing up every now and then.