In the light of no further objection, Mei turned to Syrus and tugged his arm playfully. "Hey Syrus, wanna come explore the city with me?" It would only be a few hours until they had to rendezvous back at Mansion 47, but Mei was determined to make those hours count. Out of the group of SeeD that she had travelled with so far, Syrus was the one she was closest to. And right now, that was important to her. "You're not going to make me wander off all alone are you?" She added with a teasing gleam in her innocent blue eyes.

She waited no longer than a second for Syrus to nod his approval, before dragging him off into the blinking lights of Deling City, a renewed vigour in her step.

[hr]

"Phew, I forgot how [i]huuuge[/i] this city was. Especially compared to Timber or Balamb..." The two teens had just stepped off the bus circulating the route to Imperial Heights, where they would meet up with the others for the debriefing. The first port of call had been the shopping centre that populated the centre of the city, and although they hadn't purchased much, Mei still expressed how nice it was just to look at such things anyway. "The things worth getting in life can't be bought with money," she had told him with a cryptic grin, threading her fingers behind her back before bounding off to the next destination.

The only other activities that their schedule had really allowed was a leisurely walk in the park, and some sightseeing of some Deling landmarks, such as the Gateway Arc that had been built long before Galbaldia and Dollet were independent. It only seemed like minutes before they had to return to the others, and the disappointment was evidently painted on her face. 

"Hey, Syrus?" They had come to a stop outside the Mansion doors, having informed the guards they were 'Union Inspectors' as Duncan had instructed. "Umm...thanks for tonight. After everything that happened back in Timber...with my brother, and how hurt you were..." Mei's words cracked slightly under the emotional strain she was clearly under, but her face put on a brave front before her companion. "I guess...I've been really unhappy for a while. But just for a few hours, I felt light again. Even though the fighting is far from over...I'll cherish the time we spent together." A simple, sweet smile adorned her lips at that moment, and no more needed to be said as she stepped into the building where Duncan and the others were beginning their meeting.