Leaning against the wall of the mess hall in a corner of the room, watching the Alliance and Imperials mix and mingle while also keeping an eye on that man now smoking a pipe, Melina was deep, almost lost, in thought. In her three years as a Mercenary, having worked for both Alliance and Imperials at different times, this was the first she had ever seen - or even heard - of the two mingling. She'd grown up on a planet that was under Alliance control, and so at first her views were biased based on that and they probably still were, but her time as a Merc had dulled that bias to where she could think with a fair, unaligned train of thought based on what she saw and experienced.<br/><br/>To her, the Alliance were the epitomy of Capitalism and were won't to flaunt that everywhere  they went, which annoyed her no end, while the people of the Empire were strict, disciplined and fanatically loyal to their Emperor. Both factions galled her somewhat, usually due to their disdain of her simply for her profession. Even after showing greater skill than most of those she worked with and saving their lives multiple times, the disdain and hatred lasted.<br/><br/>Melina gazed around the room once more. She was bored here, having recently finished the pecan pie she'd taken. Amusement was needed. After thinking a moment, a tiny smile crossed her face and she thought<i>the Imperial.</i>The smile slid from her face as she approached the man, a serious, cold look coming over her. She tilted her head slightly and commented in a chilling voice, "<span style="color: darkorchid">You seem skilled with that pipe of yours. I hope it's not all you're skilled with or you won't survive long</span>." The implication of her words was clear for even a grunt like this one to hear. Inside, she smiled, thinking to herself<i>time to play Antagonise the Imperial. Always a fun game.</i><br/><br/>A small, almost invisible smile crossed Melina's face as she spoke next, a hand taking hold of the collar of the man's uniform, pulling it gently, then letting it spring back in to place. "<span style="color: darkorchid">And in your finest finery too. How very... noble of you to grace a lesser being such as myself with your regal presence.</span>" The tone of mocking in Melina's voice was almost nonexistant and easy for one to miss if not searching hard for it. Inside, a small thought pierced the woman's mind.<i>This should be fun...</i><div class="messageTextEndMarker"> </div>