Day 3 was a free day, so I took it a bit literally and went with "Choice" as the literal prompt. More of "Ed loses sleep over his kids and their nonsense"!

Edith scowled and met her dad's gaze. She was not going to back down on this.

"You want to go to Briggs?"

They kept coming back to the Briggs bit. "Yes! They have the best artillery, like I said." And not just theoretical work, like Central, or the construction factories out west. Briggs was where the country's biggest, baddest guns went and were put to use. There was nothing tame about the north and that's what she wanted. Hard practicality put to form. And it was an internship; it was only supposed to run for eighteen months. It wasn't like she was never coming back!

"Why are you picking on me? It's not like I'm the only one-" Edith clamped her mouth shut, but it was too late.

Dad zeroed in on it, pointing her acceptance letter at her. "You're not the only one?!"

Oops. Edith bit her lip. She hadn't meant to let that slip.

"Who is it?"

Don't spill, don't spill. Dad was furious, and she knew it, but she was eighteen and had been talking about getting an internship for months. Maybe the location was a bit of a shock, but come on! She'd built a miniature tank in their backyard when she was ten! She really couldn't see how this was a surprise.

Dad's frowned deepened. Edith could see the gears turning as he tried to figure out which of her siblings had thrown in for the military. She really hoped he wouldn't figure it out.

"ALEXANDER!"

He figured it out.

The noise downstairs stopped immediately. Getting called by your full name was a sign that you'd Done Fucked Up. Edith and Dad waited in silence as Xander's footsteps echoed up the stairs. The door to her bedroom cracked open and her oldest brother peeked in. "...Yes?"

Dad pointed to her bed and Xander slunk over to sit down next to her. Despite being in his late twenties, he looked like a teenager that got caught sneaking out on a school night.

A beat of silence. "When were you going to tell me you applied to the military?"

Xander swung around to glare at her. "You told him I applied to the alchemy program?"

"You applied to the alchemy program?!" Dad roared.

Xander cringed and slid so far down on the bed he was practically horizontal. "Not the combat position- the research ones out in West City!"

That opened the floodgates. Despite the fact that Dad had been the one who had gutted and rebuilt the program way back in the day, it was still, technically, under the military's oversight. The military would control his budget, and to an extent, his projects, which meant they could steer it in whatever direction they wanted. Edith knew her brother knew that, but he'd been bouncing the idea since he started college. And even now, after finishing his degrees, he was still sold on that path.

"And you!" Dad finished his rant and swung his attention to Edith. "I don't care if Briggs has the best guns- there's a reason for that! It's dangerous up there. I would know, I almost died there!"

Edith huffed. Yes, she did know. "Well you almost died in Central, and we go there all the time!"

"And East City," Xander supplied helpfully, his face half-hidden in the bed sheets.

"Yeah, and Resembool-"

"And Dublith-"

"Alright, don't be a smartass with me," Dad snapped. "You made your point, but I'm going to ignore it."

The front door slammed downstairs and Edith could hear Mom call out a greeting to rest of the family. Dad opened the door and leaned out. "Winry! Can you come up here?"

Edith felt her stomach drop. Next to her, Xander shot up into a sitting position. Dad was one thing, but Mom was another beast. "We're toast," Xander groaned. Edith had to agree.