Mili is quiet, by default of her birth defect. Being mute has led her to a life of isolated, often times bitter thoughts. It has also made her very intelligent. She is quick to understand and more perceptive to body language.
Her interactions with others are usually one sided, with the speaking party doing most of the, well, conversing. Mili can write Alternian and read well. She usually carries with her either a book and pen, or a white board and marker so she can convey messages. Though, often times a few of her animated looks will get the point across well enough! Because most of her conversing is through writing, her friends tend to be older or at least able to read Alternian. That is not to say she does not offer advice to younger trolls who might not read yet, but it is rather rare when it occurs.
Having older friends is nice, but she longs for someone her age to befriend her. Past attempts to be friends have included giving out drawings or little handmade gifts, but those did not do so well. You can attract more flies with honey than vinegar, after all. The few friends she garnered through 'gifts' left when those dried up. Mili decided older friends were for her.
Listening and being a matchmaker is a coping system and a defense mechanism. It allows her to feel wanted as well as ensures she is safe. No troll can deny her needed existence, as the ashen quadrant is least understood. From a young age Mili was lead to believe it was be the middle man or be lonely. Or worse yet, die. Her disability is not life endangering, but it could be precarious when she was older. Owl Mom showed that it would be best if she took on the responsibilities of that quadrant now and gained valuable understandings and experience before it became a more dire matter.
Mili understands the caste system thanks to extended reading, but doesn't understand it's overall purpose. It feels archaic and useless to her. She is one to quickly match trolls on the opposite end of the hemospectrum, and more likely to try and avoid giving advice to an outspoken supporter. Any respect shown for upper caste members is mostly derived from the fact that they are prone to violence. She would rather escape than fight.
When not trying to juggle romances or avoid battles, Mili finds herself snuggled in Owl Mom's downy feathers with a good book, or writing a story. She also has a fondness for drawing and doodling, though despite the adage "practice makes perfect", she is far from... Very good. Mediocre at best. She also likes to try and do things she has read. Such attempts include cooking, fletching arrows, dance, and tumbling.
If you were to ask one of her friends how they would describe Mili, you might hear patient or kind. If you asked Mili, she may scrawl out she's lonely or bitter. Normally she can keep those emotions in check, but at times it's too much to handle and she'll lock herself in the hive, bundled in feathers.
It is good to note that while she is normally quiet, unassuming, and generally-non troll like (to an observer), she still has her moments where bursts or aggression leads to violence and rebellious thoughts pop out. Mili has many repressed desires, possibly from her lack of communication to others and her lusus being a bit abnormal to troll standards.
Strengths: ++ Good Listener: Mili is very, very good at listening and offering advice. Trolls know that she is always up for a good feelings jam. She is always available for a chat and devotes her whole attention to helping trolls through their issues. Listening began as a coping mechanism, and largely is one still, but there are times when offering advice and listening is enjoyable.
Speaking less (or at all) and listening more has made her ears extremely sharp. She's able to detect trolls who might attempt to sneak up on her, and mumbled confessions during feeling jams never escape her. Her fighting style is one primarily of flight, not fight, and her listening has helped tremendously in this aspect.
++ Intelligent Listening more than speaking, reading and writing from an early age, and interacting with trolls in complex manners has made Mili quite the intelligent young troll. She is mostly book smarts, given her voracious appetite to books, and her lack of experiences on the street. She has some street smarts, mostly inferred from conversations with others, but not nearly enough to be considered and 'intelligence'.
++ Intuitive Body language and words said (and not said) tell this troll quite a bit! Hiding things from Mili is pretty tough. She picks up on hidden meanings easily. Often times she can tell when to avoid topics or even avoid certain streets when walking. This strength is good when a Troll has a hard time explaining themselves or their issues.
Flaws:-- Self-depreciating Being different isn't so grand. She has a hard time understanding her own assets and what she could bring to a relationship. Any advice given is riddled with self doubt (though it is often not spoken). Any sort of romantic/blackrom approach would be shooed away.
-- Needy Mili despises being alone or having to deal with loneliness. Most of her time is spent with others or in the company of others. Even when in the company of others, she can often feel lonely for her lack of ability. She cannot speak her opinions, and some friends are not willing to wait and read what she scrawls down. Owl Mom is very self-sufficient and expects nothing less of Mili. This expectation and Mili's needs have been a severe issue in their relationship.
-- Bitter A world made for those who can converse freely produced a girl with a lot of thoughts and limited modes to express them. She is quiet by default and it angers her. Why do other trolls, less intelligent and prone to spewing out utter nonsense get to speak when she has to remain silent? The ashen quadrant was also forced on her, more or less, so she still has some bitter feelings towards her quadrant and life.
Mili is prone to shutting down when things get too stressful, refusing to help her friends, and sabotaging those that have offended her the most. 'Offense' in terms of Mili usually means something along the lines of: Making fun of her lack of speech, making fun of her quadrant, making fun of her lusus, deep respect/adherence to the caste system, and purposely talking on when Mili tries to get them to stop.