Matt Taina

Physical Appearance

• Shoulder-length black hair
• Yellow eyes
• Black fur on ears with white insides
• Black and white tiger striped fur on tail
• Black tiger striped markings on arms and legs
• Fair skinned on the somewhat pale side
• Tall in height
• Physically fit with a muscled build
• Pierced ears
• Has a feral white tiger form

Clothing Style

Matt tends to keep his outfits very simple, and he always has his sunglasses on hand, either on his face, resting on his head, or hanging from his shirt collar. He greatly prefers dark colors and doesn't wear anything with too much adornment or fancy designing. He also prefers to wear sleeveless shirts and stick to wearing jackets should he ever feel like covering his arms. He also doesn't really like wearing anything other than pants to fully cover his legs in public. For some reason he doesn't like people examining his legs (even though some of his lady friends remark on how much he should show them off).

His most common outfit consists of a dark green sleeveless shirt with a hood and hoodie styled pockets on the front. He wears this with black pants and boots. Along with his sunglasses, he will sometimes accessorize with black gloves and a studded choker depending on the climate, and in cooler weather or while traveling he will also wear a jacket, either dark brown or black.

Personality

Matt is a man of few words in most cases with a very serious demeanor. He doesn't talk much unless approached first, but he's by no means shy and can be rather eloquent with his words. However, he prefers to be rather blunt if he's not formally speaking, and he can be very sarcastic depending on his company. He is a responsible and reliable man who will carry out orders to a T, but he can be a stickler for the rules at times despite how he may not seem that way while in the field. His loyalty and dedication to serving and protecting the people of his world is unwavering, and he shows no fear in combating the Enlightened. He's been highly trained in combat and rifting, and he is experienced in numerous magical practices taught to him by his mentor, therefore very little intimidates him anymore. Matt always holds himself with a bold confidence and doesn't back down from anything, although he can come off as arrogant or condescending toward others at times. Despite this, he will selflessly protect others regardless if he likes them or not. 

In combat, Matt has a fighting style that is entirely focused on close combat and using his Steyl rifting to enhance his attacks and protect himself. He fights with a ferocity that may seem wild to the untrained eye, yet he always remains in perfect control of his movements. Most consider him to be a rather cold and intense warrior considering his fierce passion on the battlefield along with his quiet and aloof demeanor off the battlefield. Although his fighting style is entirely melee based, he should not be mistaken as all brawn and no brain, for it is precisely his cunning and quick wits that make him so deadly. In fact he rarely enjoys conversations about fighting unless it involves strategy or refining techniques, and he greatly prefers mentally stimulating discussion since he's so used to his mentor's company.

Although Matt is quick to protect those of his world, he can be rather slow to open up to others personally and usually prefers to keep his distance from others unless necessary. He's not terribly interested in talking about himself, so it can be difficult to get to know him without persistence. He can seem rather one-track-minded since his off-time is usually filled with training or sparring. Like many others in his situation, Matt has grown up in a world plagued by war and terror from the Enlightened, so he is very unfamiliar with complete peace and lack of worry. His few close friends usually have to force him to do anything recreational, and even then he never seems totally comfortable with "relaxing." He'd rather keep to himself and his own self-improvement, so he can be rather stubborn at times and is reluctant to admit or accept he needs help before determining he can't handle something on his own. Matt is known for either keeping a level head or being fiercely intense about whatever he's doing, but he can get thrown off by his friends attempting to get him to have more fun. He especially has issues with his female friends doing so, since he has no problem being snarky to male friends but hesitates to be less polite around women. This is likely why he gets mildly flustered around Mariena since she's very bubbly and persistent about getting to know him, and he hasn't the heart or desire to reject her advances. More often than not he tends to just remove himself from the situation if he's not sure how to respond.

Abilities

• Steyl rifting - rank 5/5
• Shapeshifting - white tiger
• Skilled in hand to hand combat and various magical practices of Doobutsu Tenshi

Strengths

• Focused, disciplined, and level headed
• Observant, instinctive, and has quick reflexes
• Confident, bold, and reliable
• Responsible, focused, and not easily surprised/thrown off

Weaknesses

• A bit of a stick in the mud and too serious at times
• Blunt, sharp tongued, and can be a touch arrogant/condescending
• Aloof, slow to trust, and hard to approach
• Stubborn, rarely asks for help when he needs it, and hard on himself for his failures/mistakes

Backstory

As a child, Matt was discovered unconscious on a beach of the eastern coast, apparently found floating in the ocean by Akwella while she was searching for her family. He was taken in by Master Maco Tesoto of Uniselias and has been closely trained from a young age, so his skills and knowledge gained from his master have shaped him into a wise and gifted young man. He has little to no memory about his past, but he is not curious to know who his parents were and believes their identities have no bearing on the person he has become and will grow to be. He considers his master his only family and follows him unquestioningly, and he even insists that his master not tell him anything of his past even when he informed him that he has a strong theory who he may be or where he may be from. Initial attempts to jog his memory and expose him to the place he might have originated from have only elicited negative reactions, possibly due to trauma related to his memory loss. Matt finds the topic to be nothing but a distraction and an unpleasant inconvenience, so he resolves to live in the present and for the future.

He is currently working with the Spirit Anima's host as Master Tesoto trains him. Matt serves as a secondary mentor and a protector as he learns. He has always worked closely with Master Tesoto, both within the capital and out in the field, but it’s becoming more and more clear that Maco’s age is catching up with him. Matt has taken up more field missions in his master’s stead, especially after eventually completing his apprenticeship training and becoming a fully-fledged agent for Uniselias. He doesn’t necessarily like to acknowledge it, but he is aware that Master Tesoto has been pushing him to become more independent and handle matters without him, and it’s an ever-looming, grim reality that the master may not have much time left.

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