Dust-Devil

Matari Yarraman is of Australian aboriginal discent, judging from his physical features and accent. He's a recent arrival to the United States, and seems to be a bit of a thrill-seeker, into extreme sports like Cliff-Diving.

Dust-Devil is, in his elemental form, a living sand-elemental. The transformation seems to occur when the man absorbs kinetic impacts - sometimes not at his will. He seems to be a mutant, having been taken into the Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, despite being 22.

Background
Matari Yarraman was born to an Aboriginal Australian mother (Apanie Yarraman), and an American father (Walter Fess), in the Northern Territory of Australia. His mother belonged to the Yolngu people that dwelt in Nhulunbuy - on the North-East coast of Arnhem Land, but she spent much time in Darwin, working as a cultural studies teacher. She met Walter, a conservationist from the USA, and eventually married him.

Matari was born soon afterward.

The marriage did not last, and Walter returned to the States. Matari stayed with Apanie, keeping her name, and was raised to appreciate his cultural and spiritual heritage (he loved the tales of the Dream Time - especially the stories of the Djanggawul, the mythology specific to the Yolngu), despite spending more time away from his people's traditional home. He did well in school, excelling in environmental studies (a passion he shared with his father). Had life remained on its then-current course, he might stayed in Australia working as a conservationist there. But life... had other plans.

In his mid-teens, Matari went cliff-diving with friends - when his mutant heritage revealed itself. Matari misjudged a jump, and landed belly-first in the water - a mistake that should have killed him. It did not. The moment he struck the water's surface, he... changed. Into a psychokinetic cloud of silica particles (sand/dust). Of course, he struck water - dirty water - and found himself unable to transform back (straight away). As a result, his friends assumed he had been killed, and swept away in the current - and so that is the story they told his mother, and the elders of his clan.

It took time for Yarraman to "pull himself together", and when he returned to his family and tribe... some thought him a spirit, or at least possessed by one. Most... did not know what to think - except his mother, who was merely happy her son was alive. In the couple of years that followed, Matari was tested by family, friend and elder alike to determine the nature of his abilities; some of these tests were physical (endurance, survival, combative), while others mental, or emotional - and all were spiritual. Several of Yarraman's peers held to the more scientific viewpoint - regarding the mutant gene - while others leaned toward the spiritual (suggesting that Yarraman was actually a reincarnation of Waiwera - an evil spirit, in the form of a dust-devil).

Yarraman... tried to take both sides in stride - and the various tests and trials increased his focus, and overall fitness.

It was the anti-mutant sentiment he suffered from other locals (even more than the treatment of some Elders that kept calling him 'Waiwera') that made things so difficult. There was also the fact that he could not...quite control his powers: ANY sudden, heavy kinetic impact caused him to transform into a living "dust-devil" (a sand/dust-elemental). MINOR kinetic impacts caused him to "shed" particles of sand, as if he had just been to the beach, and forgotten to wash the beach-sand off - consequently, he was outed as a mutant very soon. While he was seventeen (still a legal minor), his mother was hit in the head by a glass bottle thrown by anti-mutant protesters - an injury that claimed her life not long afterward.

Immediately, the three "Clever Men" of Matari's tribe (three shamans, each with a different function - healer, counsellor and arbiter) sought to claim the powerful young man for themselves. One way or another, Matari was going to be a Clever Man himself (or so they intended). Matari's strongest connection was with the Kgai'dai'chi - the Clever Man responsible for dealing out judgement and retribution - who told him of certain other Clever Men who had once been taken by something called the Labyrinth. Measures needed to be taken to ensure this did not happen again. However, his training of the young Matari was cut short, when the lad's estranged father, Walter Fess, intervened. Walter assumed custody of his teenage son, and took him to live in New York.

Everything changed.

At the same time, it also stayed the same (typical, yes). Yarraman still needed to complete his college education, but had little help in controlling or learning to deal with his powers. Circumstances in the USA did not seem much better than back home... He finished high-school in New York, and struggled with his abilities the whole time. This did not help his attitude toward 'normal' people at all. When the time came to go to college, he was at a loss until settling upon correspondence courses he could do from home.

Then, Matari received a letter in the post, regarding a certain Institute for the "Gifted"...

Whatever happens next, Matari Yarraman (calling himself Dust-Devil most of the time) would always maintain a strong connection to his homeland, his people and their traditions; having the power to "make a difference" (no matter where he lived) always helps, too.

Personality
Matari Yarraman is a man trying to balance multiple aspects of himself that often seem to be (or truly are) at odds with each other - just like most other people. And, just like other people, this is often a difficult and confusing process. He is still a young adult, and life has thrown a number of challenges at him, recently. In short, he is still trying to find his way.

The Old: Yarraman comes from a deeply spiritual culture, one enriched by stories, mythologies, traditions, laws, languages, and various forms of expression - each unique to specific tribes, clans etc... He has been raised to appreciate the Past, even if it might seem (to him) like it has little to do with the Present. There are things from his Aboriginal culture that he would say he understands and appreciates - and other things he appreciates, but doesn't quite understand. There are other aspects that still have yet to find a "place" in his spirit. Regardless, he is a spiritual young man, and appreciates this quality in others, most of the time.

The New: Yarraman has nearly completed his college education, and is looking forward to putting his skill-set to use in the world. His interests in Environmental Sciences come largely from his cultural "love of the land", and provide him with a practical means of putting his interests to good use. He is insatiably curious. He wants to go everywhere, see everything, meet everyone... Matari Yarraman is not shy. At all.

The Aussie: Yarraman's father may be American (and he himself has dual citizenship), but he considers himself an "Aussie" through and through. He also enjoys preying upon other people's misconceptions about his home-country, and Aboriginal culture - all in the name of good fun. He says what he thinks - even if he has only just thought it - and he does what he says. He is a man of action, always on the lookout for the "little guy", and he has no qualms about throwing himself bodily (often literally) into trouble, mischief, or adventure - especially if it means helping someone out. Political correctness? He couldn't care less.

The Darker Side: Yarraman's mother died because of a hate-crime. If there is one thing that Yarraman hates, it is hate-crimes. If there is something that could incite him to do serious harm to another - this would be it. His Elders might say that Yarraman is actually "Waiwera" (the evil spirit that kidnapped a beautiful girl and turned her into a bird - the Brolga), returning again to harass mankind, but either way... Yarraman has anger-management issues, and he often forgets it. As a coping mechanism, he often turns anger into pranks - but not always.