"So, what country are you from then?"

I froze.

Shit.

There was no possible way to lie my way out of this one. I knew no countries in this dimension besides Amestris and I had already admitted I wasn't from there. I was so very screwed.

I immediately retreated to my mind, aware that I could spend more time thinking in here than would actually pass out there.

THIIINK, bitch, what's wrong with you, eh, some genius you are, can't even come up with a decent- wait. Never mind, duh.

"Oh, it's a small island; I doubt you've heard of it, very few people have. We don't really have much to offer, and we don't usually leave or associate with outsiders."

Hello, Hetalia poster in the middle of my mind retreat library. Thank you Japan, isolationist policy works perfectly for me.

"But you left it didn't you? Why?"

And damn you, you observant blonde bastard.

I glanced at Edward, my mind spinning through possibilities, the moment I saw him his info started running through my head, everything that I know about him, and it clicks that he left partly to escape a small town, or so my brother said when he explained the show to me the first time. I could use that. But I really, really, didn't want to.

"There was nothing left for me there."

Which was more or less true, seeing as there was no way back, there really was nothing for me to 'return' to.

After that conversation flowed for a while, no longer centered on me, and I was finally allowed to eat. Not that I ended up eating much of it anyway, I didn't have much of an appetite after the day I'd had. As I sipped my water I felt a small headache forming on the bridge of my nose and identified the cause immediately from experience. I needed caffeine. However, soda was one of the sacrifices that I made coming to this place. That probably wasn't going to end well. At least I knew for certain there was coffee.

Alphonse was telling me about a ginger kitten he had found a few days ago when Hughes interjected,

"Well, Stephanie, we had better hit the sack. Both of us need to be at the office pretty early. We need to get all our work involving Roy done before he heads back to Eastern at noon."

I nodded and stood, grabbing my dishes and heading to the kitchen. As I was about to wash up, purely out of habit Gracia swooped in from nowhere,

"I'll take these, you just head to bed now, Maes will show you where you can sleep for the night."

She smiled kindly at me and I didn't have the heart, or the energy, to argue with her. I simply nodded, and thanked her before retreating to the living room where everyone had gathered to say their final goodnights.

Alphonse turned to me,

"It was nice meeting you Stephanie, and I hope that we meet again sometime."

I raised an eyebrow,

"Are you leaving?"

Edward leapt into the conversation,

"Yeah, we set out for Liore in the morning, we'll have to leave early to catch the train on time. This is the last we'll see of you for a while."

I shook both of their hands, smiling at them both,

"In that case, it was a pleasure meeting you both, and I hope that we can meet again sometime."

After the Elrics retreated to their shared guest bedroom Hughes showed me to a room in a corner of the house, he spoke quietly,

"This is Elicia's room; Gracia has already laid out a place for you to sleep. I hope this is alright for you?"

When I nodded he continued,

"This door through here is the bathroom, there are towels under the sink. I'll try to wake you early enough that you'll have time to shower."

After thanking him once again I slipped silently into the girls' room and found the small bed of blankets on the floor. It struck me as slightly odd that they would trust me alone in the same room as their sleeping daughter so soon after meeting me, but then again, anime culture/logic wasn't something I was well versed in yet. It did point more towards him being hospitable rather than him being suspicious of my presence and wanting to keep an eye on me. I didn't bother taking off my shoes or wrapping up in the blanket, the moment I touched the makeshift bed I was out.

I was shaken awake before dawn and handed a small bundle of clothing. From the moment I opened my eyes I was off balance. The colors were wrong, the shapes were wrong, and even the sounds were off in some way. I stumbled unsteadily into the bathroom I had been shown the night before and showered quickly, trying to shake off the disorientation. I towel-dried my hair, leaving it only slightly damp, falling in a scraggly mess around my face. I used the mini hairbrush that I always kept in my bag to attempt to tame the mess, and the spare toothbrush they'd set out for me then examined the clothes that I had been handed. I had completely ignored the black skirt that was provided for me, instead keeping my jeans that had been scrubbed the night before and dried mostly clean. It wasn't in some protest against gender roles and the assumption of skirt wearing, it was just entirely too long to be a plausible wardrobe option, I was obviously way shorter than whoever donated the article of clothing. I again kept on my red camisole and replaced my ruined shirt with the new plain black shirt that I had been provided. It was made of a slightly rougher weave than my old one, and cut in a more male style, but it was better than nothing. Just wearing the camisole wasn't an option, it left way too much of my bony shoulders in view.

I pulled on my converse and headed towards the kitchen where I could smell something distinctly bacon-like beckoning me closer. I stuck my head in to see Gracia at the stove, wearing a ruffled pink apron. When she saw me in the doorway she smiled and handed me a plate containing eggs and bacon. I joined Hughes in the dining room, and we ate in comfortable silence, myself ignoring the bacon out of habit before reminding myself to just eat it and get it over with. I inhaled my first cup of coffee, savoring the next one. It tasted like normal coffee, a lighter roast than what Taylor favored, but it had no strange 'anime' aftertaste like I had expected.

As we dropped our dishes off in the kitchen we said goodbye to Gracia, with me thanking her for her hospitality. We both pulled on our respective trench coats and headed out into the city. We walked mostly in silence for a few minutes until it was broken by Hughes,

"So, what are your plans for the future?"

Startled by the sudden question I responded with an oh-so-intelligent "What?"

"Your plans for the future, what are you planning to do for a living. You must have thought of something when you set out for this place."

I shrugged,

"I wasn't actually aiming specifically for here; I've just been traveling and just happened to end up here. It seemed like as good a place as any. As for what I'm going to do now, I have no idea. I would love to study Alchemy, but I doubt I'll have the opportunity for that. The best I can hope for is to find a job in some shop, a bookstore maybe, I'm a big fan of those."

I could feel his eyes on me as he weighed what he would say next.

"Have you ever considered the military?"

I glanced at him, startled,

"No, I haven't seriously considered it. I guess I subconsciously figured since I was a foreigner I wouldn't be welcome in the military and I wouldn't be allowed to or something."

"Actually, it's one of the recommended options for you as an immigrant. There are several ways to earn citizenship, paying heavy taxes being one of the most popular. But there is always the option to serve 5 years in the military."

I considered it. Would I really be able to stand working for these people? Hughes or Mustang I wouldn't mind one bit, because I knew for a fact that they were good people with only the best of intentions, but if I did join the military then there would be every possibility I would end up working for an idiot of some sort, and a mean idiot at that. And even without the question of morals, there was the possibility that I couldn't take military life. Certain physical standards were required for members of such an elite force, and I was certainly not up to those standards at the moment.

Then there was the little problem of so few women being involved in the Amestrian military, and those that I had seen on the show were decked out in skirts and heels, something that I would never consent to wear unless there was a life or death situation. I'd trip over either of them and fall to my death. As a female, I could probably get away with just having a desk job, and leaving all difficult work to the men. But my pride would never allow me to sit behind a desk wearing a skirt and manning the phones while there was excitement happening outside. Plus, that was hardly going to help me keep Hughes alive. After that was the concern that I was a foreigner, recommended option or not there was no way I would have any sort of trust placed in me for several years to come, if ever.

Hughes was waiting for me to give an answer, but I wasn't sure of anything, except that maybe that was why he had taken me in, to watch me, tell me my options, and make sure I was either enlisted or registered for taxes.

"Can I flip a coin or something?"

He laughed,

"I suppose you could, but I wouldn't recommend leaving such an important decision up to chance."

"Hmmm, what would I be expected to do if I did join your military?"

"Well, it would depend on what branch you joined. There's the investigative branch, which I'm in, which is almost like a detective agency specialized specifically for the military. Then there are the medics, the state alchemists, and the infantry soldiers who handle mostly just physical work. Obviously, there is more than that, but those are really the only ones you need to worry about at the moment. Specializations usually go onwards from there."

I was guessing it was possible to be in several branches at the same time, what with Armstrong and Mustang being 'regular' soldiers as well as state alchemists, but I knew that wasn't an option for me at the moment.

I opened my mouth to ask another question when Hughes stopped me.

"I know you have a lot of questions about it, but I don't have all the answers. When we get into the office I'll grab the information for you to look over before your official statement is taken."

I nodded, still absorbed in my thoughts. How would I fit into the military? Honestly, what could I offer, besides a good memory? Eventually, they would have Scheska for that, so I wasn't even unique in that area. True my memory was undoubtedly better, seeing as hers was only photographic, meaning only image, and I could remember sound, smell, and taste as well, but that wasn't really something that would make me useful.

I walked into a large shadow and felt a chill run down my back. I looked up and was met with the sight of a vast complex, consisting of large, impressive buildings. Central Military Command. I had arrived.

Not dead, happy 4th for those who are about that. Please comment n stuff, it gives me life.

~TimeLordOfPie