Watch Out, There's Stalkers About: Rink Mortheel

Watch out, there’s stalkers about, as my dad always says. Well, I guess it’s time for one particular stalker to spill his life story. And…that would be me. And yes, I’m a stalker and proud of it. Got me a notebook full of Essa Haniri’s life and Javez Geten’s life and Benjian Mortheel’s life and…um…Ulath Rin’s life!
Er…that’s about it for the lives I’ve got written down. Oh…! And I’ve got mine. Of course. Wrote it all out today.

Essa: *pokes Rink* D'ya miss me? *wiggles eyebrows*
Huh. What do you expect me to say? ‘I wanna go wiv you!’ To tell you the truth—not that I’ve been lying otherwise—no, I don’t. Not at all. And here’s the truth in a (hopefully) more crushing way: I used to want to meet you, Essa. And now that I see who you really are…I don’t.
But don’t ask me if I miss Javez…’cause I don’t know. Still trying to work out what I feel when I think about him.

Lylyss: Rink, can you tell me a bit about how you came be with Ma'Ling?
Sure. Apparently, my dad had some debt to pay. I’m not sure if that was money or a vendetta or something like that. But anyway, Ma’Ling turned up when I was fourteen and dragged me away as payment for my father’s debt. Well…not really dragged. My dad told me that was going to happen, and I left with Ma’Ling and the band.

Leilani: What's your favourite colour?
Uh…dunno. Probably green. Or red. Or black. Maybe blue. I don’t know. But I don’t like pink. And it doesn’t really matter any more, because they all blur except when I’m looking through my monocle.

Leilani: Who do you look up to most?
My dad. Benjian Mortheel. Everything I can say to Javez or Essa or Kelea is from what he’s taught me. I haven’t seen him for three years, though. Not since Ma’Ling dragged me away. And despite the fact that I’ve got Master Sendaris as a companion, I don’t exactly have a way to get home. And if I did get home, I expect Ma’Ling would be waiting. And on that, there’s a bounty on my head. *swallows* I think I’d better hide. Is there a church around? I claim sanctuary!
Who do I look up to least? Probably Essa. (In your face!)

Lylyss: Hey Rink. Who taught you to play the drums?
That would have been Thirimar. He’s the other drummer in Ma’Ling’s band, and I didn’t like the flute or the cymbals or the vocals…and least of all Ma’Ling’s contortionist dance. So Thirimar taught me the drums. They’re not my favourite instrument, but I can still play them well.

Lylyss: Tell me about your dad.
Um…*searches stalker notebook*…Well, as I said, he taught me his wisdom. I don’t know where he learned it. He used to be a Jedi Knight, and he said he intentionally disobeyed every law of the Order. I don’t remember why. After he married my mother—that was when he was eighteen, by the way—the Order put up with him for three more years before kicking him out. So Dad and Mum took two-year-old me to Tatooine, and there we lived happily ever after until bounty hunters came along and took Mum. She was the daughter of a Nabooan warlord—her maiden name was Beld. Nantriss Beld. My dad took me and started looking for my mum, but he didn’t find her, and he went back to Tatooine.
*deep breath* And then, he raised me alone. Until Ma’Ling came along when I was fourteen and dragged me away. And I haven’t seen him since.

Cade: So. You know about what Essa did. And you didn't think to avenge me??? It's not that hard, you know. Point and pull the trigger.
Aheh. As if I would. I’m not that sort of person. As Essa will definitely tell you. Although I did threaten once…I’m not sure what I would have done if Essa had thrown the baby out.

Oh-kay. There’s my life story out in the open. Now it’s your turn to answer questions. I’ve got two for all of you, and you aren’t allowed to look the answers up.
1. What is Ma’Ling’s last name?
2. How do you spell Ma’Ling’s last name?
I can do both of those in my head. Your turn. Comment below. No research allowed!

Rink Mortheel
(Signature? Um…drummer? … Boring. … Oh, I know!)

Rink Mortheel
Stalker Par Excellence

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((Dmitri: NightBlade, apparently you wanted to ask Rink some questions. You’ve still got time for that, and I’ll do a Late Edition of Watch Out, There's Stalkers About. ;) ))