During her childhood in the hold, Maliah had to stunt much of who she was, shoving her wild and hedonistic personality traits into a closet and never let them out. The only person, or people, she allowed to see who she really was was her family. Her older brother and her sisters were the only people who knew Mali for who she was and accepting her for it anyway. When her mother died, the need to shove it all in a box grew harder and harsher but she managed it.

She let it loose just a little when they went to live in Jalazmar's household, allowing some of that ballbusting nature of hers out in bits and pieces. When D'hys brought them to Ista Weyr, Maliah blossomed and the lock on her box was broken when she realized that as long as she followed the rules she could be who she was in the weyr. She never looked back.

Smart as a whip, Maliah doesn't take much shit from anyone. She'll bulldoze over the top of people who are less dominant in personality than she is but she doesn't mean to so maliciously. She simply has a forceful personality, her mother had likened it to a wher gone wild (which is rude as hell in her opinion) when she was still alive, but Maliah is pretty certain she's just an asshole.

She's no pushover and doesn't allow anyone to take advantage of her. She'll always stand up for the underdog and will champion anyone she can. Maliah doesn't allow anyone to speak down to her, she knows her worth and she knows she's worth it. She can be sweet and soft when the mood strikes, though, and tends to have a soft spot for infants and young children, especially those not belonging to her.