History

Matteo was born to Salma Ghanem and Ciro Ruíz Álvares. Unfortunately for the family, Ciro did not think himself to be ready to be a father (or fit to be a father at all) - and so left without a word when Matteo was six years old. Raising Teo was a task left to his mother alone, as she did not have family in Spain, and as a result, he grew very attached to her. To this day, he holds incredible fondness and respect for her in his heart.

After struggling his way through school, Matteo took up several small part-time jobs, though none of them lasted for very long as either he or his employers were dissatisfied with the work he was doing. He practiced sports climbing on the side, occasionally entering small, local competitions in hopes of earning prize money as a different means of financially supporting his mother.

Life continued on like this for several years, until one fateful day, something very unusual happened: What was supposed to be a good time at a local funfair became a race to save his close friend when a supernatural creature made both of them its target. In the end, they were saved by a mysterious man, and although nobody had been seriously hurt, Matteo ended up with a connection to the creature.

Left with no other choice, he was inducted into an underground organization dedicated to dealing with and protecting humankind from the supernatural - which in itself he might not have minded as much if it didn’t mean leaving his family behind. Thus began a turbulent year of training, struggle, and growth, over the course of which he made many new connections.

Personality

Many who know him would describe Matteo as a gentle giant: He is often kind and mindful in his interactions in contrast to his -perhaps imposing- stature. Although he’s certainly more reserved with people he doesn’t know, he still tries to be cordial if approached - however, he’s not the type to strike up conversation with strangers out of the blue either. In fact, he may come across as somewhat awkward when talked to, as he tends to struggle to get his words out the way he wants to. Him not being completely fluent in English also adds to this; sometimes things may get lost in translation, especially when it comes to idioms and figures of speech.

Generally, he doesn’t talk a whole lot, though if a topic he’s passionate about comes up, he’s prone to gush and ramble for as long as he’s allowed to, often skipping from thought to thought (although he tends to be embarrassed about it afterwards).

At first glance, Teo gives off a laid-back and calm impression, with seemingly little that can break his stride. He’s not one to hide his feelings, though, and his face often shows what state of mind he’s in at the time. Still, when push comes to shove, he’s not above trying to put on a tough front -- he doesn’t want to worry others, even if he should know better. At the same time, he encourages and appreciates openness, often eager to help out those dear to him in whatever way he can. In fact, he has a strong desire to protect his family (whether that be blood or found family): Dealing with a perceived threat to any of them is the main reason he ever gets truly serious or angry.

Appearance

Relationships