Mei's smile widened as Syrus stumbled on his words at the sight of her, a light blush dusting her cheeks at his compliment as she self-consciously hugged her arms across her chest. "Oh, this old thing? It's nothing special," she shrugged with a sheepish grin. Syrus proceeded to assume that she was here to celebrate with the rest of the SeeD graduates, and before she could follow through with an answer, she felt the presence of another man standing nearby. She turned her head slightly and took in the sight of an older, bespectacled male with grey hair and a faint, unwavering smile. He also carried a distinct aroma of cigars and alcohol, Mei noted as she resisted the urge to scrunch up her nose in response to the smell. 

Syrus soon followed his awkward greeting with a formal introduction of his former Instructor, and Mei couldn't help but feel a spark of interest flash within her. [i]Former, hmm?[/i] "Ahh, I see. So sorry for interrupting your chat, Mister Duncan!" She chirped brightly with an embarrassed smile, her eyes regarding him with a genuinely apologetic expression. "It's just that I don't know anyone here, so when I spotted Syrus, I had to come and say hi."

With that, she turned her attention back to Syrus with a bright grin. "It's really great to see you Syrus. I was really worried you did...umm...uhh..." She quickly sealed her lips shut as she recalled the presence of the instructor nearby, making it incredibly awkward to bring up the subject of Syrus's near-departure from the Garden. She really needed a way to speak to him alone... 

[i]Oh![/i]

"That you didn't like formal gatherings, ahahaha!" She quickly finished her words with a forced laugh, before focusing on Syrus intently with a playful gleam in her eyes. "Say Syrus....do you wanna dance with me? Your Instructor won't mind if I steal you for a bit, will he?" She added with a questioning look in Duncan's direction.