Excerpt from “A Manual to Existence” - 3.3 - People and other Animals - Personality

PERSONALITY:

While sometimes left unconsidered, personality is part of what makes humans unique. Difficult to describe with a simple word or phrase, “personality”, may be considered as a person’s flavour. The way they act. How they perceive events around them. How they perceive themselves

From “Dictionary” component:

Personality: A person’s traits and how such traits interact/are perceived by others

In existence, personality is not a simple checkbox to a person. Commonly influenced by surrounding environments and close contacts, it is an inherent characteristic many people possess. Common examples of someone’s personality may be: generosity, selflessness, optimism, etc… These traits may change over time due to the person’s surroundings, and as such it is difficult to find two people who act in a perfectly similar fashion.

For you, Fons, it may be wise to focus on certain facets of personality more so than others. Positive personality traits like loyalty and resilience are greatly prioritised worldwide, and doubly so in Ab Ovo. Keeping this in mind and emulating traits that resulted in positive interactions with others will help you to reach new heights in existence.

Fons took a closer look. Sitting across he and Silas was a woman that looked like every other Ab Ovian Fons had seen that day. A large black briefcase. Large, rounded sunglasses. Pointed nose and an unreadable expression.

“Who is she?”

“She’s Rinro Fernie. The Malwand Ring recognises her as a known perpetrator. She was convicted for stealing a 40,000 credit diamond ring a week ago and is on the run”, Silas whispered. His eyes narrowed, “But in that case, why would she be riding so casually on the Trider?”. He shook his head, “Well, no reason to wait around. Stay where you are, Fons”.

Diamond ring? Perpetrator?

Only able to sit and watch the events unfold, Fons resigned to a seat opposite the woman. Calmly walking over, Silas took a seat next to the lady.

Tapping Rinro on her shoulder, he flashed a “MALWAND” card out of his jacket pocket with a sly grin.

Rinro didn’t flinch.

“Get your buddy over here. He should hear this too”

Silas shook his head, reaching into his back pocket. Until the lady pulled out a slender looking box out of her jacket pocket and whispered something else into Silas’ ear.

Confusing. Silas slowly walked back over and sat next to Fons, mouthing “shush” and putting a finger over his lips. Quietly, using what seemed like a miniature pencil, he scribbled out a note on his left palm.

Fons-

Danger. Button. Collision. Bad. Death. Careful.

Fons noticed Rinro motioning for him to come over, patting the empty seat next to her. Noticing her, Silas gave Fons a pained expression and gestured her way.

“You’re new on the job, aren’t you?”, Rinro whispered. “First day in the office?”.

“Yes.”

“Let me explain the situation to you. Listen, I know you Malwands know who I am. Whoop dee doo. That doesn’t mean you’re going to get me today.” Dangling the box and opening it like a pearl, she revealed a small button inside.

“One click and the lines switch. The trains between Yondar and Flot station suddenly realise their magnets have been turned off.”. She crushed her palm into a fist. “You know what’s gonna happen now? I’m going to leave and you boys aren’t going to say a word about it.”. Her face morphed into a crooked smile.

“Malwands sure are useless aren’t they? I thought they'd gone extinct by now. It surprised me that some kid like you would join. Besides, what’s so wrong with taking a little from the rich? They don’t need another draedo, do they?”

Fons looked back at Silas. His expression was impossible to read, lost in thought yet silently burning with anger. So Malwands weren’t all that? He could see the inherent problem with taking something that wasn’t yours, that would be bad manners. It was wrong. But taking something that someone else would already have more than enough of?

That didn’t sound too wrong. In fact, that might even be more equal sharing. One should be selfless and generous to progress in existence…

He looked back, noticing that he was still within ten centimeters of Rinro. This was clearly a breach of personal space, wasn’t it.

“Sorry.”

“Idiot”

And Rinro Fernie disappeared

Way too many things happened at once.

Fons had failed to notice the Trider announcer giving the call that they had just reached the next station: Crusoe. He failed to realise that while trying to give Rinro some space, she had swiftly gotten up without missing a beat. Tucking the box within her palm, thumb hovering over the push button, she waved goodbye to Silas, patting his head as she strode out the Trider’s open door and into the sea of people.

Silas cursed under his breath.

That wasn't all. On the seat she sat in, a sticker had been left behind.

Have a great day, Malwand! <3

Silas fumed.

“Why you still sitting there like that?”. Silas took a look at Fons.

“You’ve been sat there staring into space for the last twenty minutes, wake up. We gotta go”

“Huh?”

“Yeah, it’s lunch break.”

“I’m a droid, I do not-”

“But I do, so we’re going.”.

Apparently they had already reached Waro station, one stop after Rinro had disembarked. It was basically a carbon copy of Dolisto. Long moving platforms (walkalators) and the thumping of footsteps, the only difference was the flooring. Gone were the marbled tiles of Dolisto and in went a glossy wooden floor.

They sat at a vacant bench, Silas producing a flask of what looked like Rolosk from the night before. Eating it in an empty silence , Fons pondered the pieces of information he had received. Pieces that just didn’t fit. Silas didn’t deserve the life of a Malwand. It did not seem like a stable existence at all. More so, did Rinro really have the wrong idea?

“....Why are you a Malwand, Silas?”

Silas’ face darkened.

“Because I wouldn’t be sitting here today if it weren’t for one.”