A/N: Another thing that came to mind while putting this on here, some of these chapters will get a little short. That does change, further down the line, and that most definitely changes by the end of this fic, and in the sequel.

Chapter 10 - The Talk.

I brought Hazel to the side after we ate for our talk, leaving Kara to glance over at us, surely wondering why. "System, show my influence ratio for Kara." The notification pops up in front of us, and Hazel frowns. "I don't know what will happen from here. The system hasn't indicated anything, but it seemed to imply that something would happen. If she does anything out of character, stop her." I start, only to be cut off by Hazel.

"I think she needs to know. That way she may be more aware of herself and what's going on around her, if she knows this Game is influencing her actions, too. Cy, if you think she'll hate you for keeping this from her, I guarantee you're wrong. She would blame the Game, more than anything." Hazel says bluntly.

"I..." I hesitate. I really didn't want her to know. Hazel was on the mark about me being scared of it making Kara hate me. "Either you tell her, or I tell her. She needs to know. She already knows something's wrong, and it's driving her crazy," She says shortly, "Tell her after you get back to our room. I'm going to get the two of us back up there, and you'd better be back soon." She finishes, marching off back into the dining area, Kara shooting me a concerned glance.

I wave her off, and Kara follows Hazel, a little reluctantly. After a few moments, I take a deep breath, and follow them back to the room. "Kara, we need to talk." I start off. "So we do." She replies idly. "This isn't about our talk on the way back to the hotel." I clarified. "What is it, then?" She asks.

"I've been hiding something important from you. I've spoken with Hazel a few times about it, and she seems to think now's the time to tell you everything I've been hiding, and I agree, after some convincing, admittedly." She sits up from her bed, looking intently at me, waiting for me to continue.

"System, show Kara my title, title description, and after that, the ratios." I say, nervousness oozing from me. The notifications appear in front of Kara, and she frowns deeper the further she reads. After she sees the ratios, her eyes narrow, and she swipes the boxes away, inadvertently sending a blast at me, throwing me towards the door, though I catch myself with my shirt by Force Levitation, setting myself back down.

"I deserve that and more for keeping that from you. I'd thought it was for the best, but I started getting concerned, and Hazel finally pushed me to tell you. I understand if you hate me now, or if you want to bail on our mission. I'm sorry, Kara." I say carefully, remorse filling my voice, as I approach her and sit next to her.

To my surprise, she wraps me in a hug. "I can't hate you, with Game influence or not. The Game can go fuck itself for putting this on you. I won't bail on the mission. I'm sorry for blasting you just now. I'm just upset." Hazel makes eye contact with me, as if to say I told you so.

I hug Kara back, and we stay like that for a few minutes, and Hazel turns over in the bed, probably to sleep, so we can have our moment from here. "It makes sense that this Echo title is a real thing. I noticed my thoughts start moving to where I thought more about what you'd think, rather than what Hazel thinks, and that change kinda scared me. I was always looking for validation from her. Looking for it from you was a surprise, and different. I started taking more after you, too. So... I guess it just makes a lot more sense now." Kara rambled.

"At least we know now, and we can move forward now everyone knows." I say simply. "But now, a different topic. The Force. I want you to pick a Jedi class, between Guardian, Sentinel, and Consular. Guardian is more aligned towards combat, Consular is primarily a Force user, and has more trouble with weapons and combat, as Consulars generally prefer diplomacy and peacekeeping. Sentinels are a mix between the two in terms of combat and Force use. You don't have to pick one now, just put some thought into it. Okay?" I lecture. Kara nods, and I grin.

"Good. Now, go to sleep, my Padawan." I say triumphantly. She sends a small shock at me, and smiles a little. "Alright, Jedi Master Disaster." She laughs. She lays back down, and turns off her light. I quickly get myself ready for bed, and lay in my own bed, staring at the notification I got after seeing Kara getting to full influence.

Hidden Journal Entry Completed!

For completing this hidden quest of getting one of your companions to 100/100 influence, the influence cap for that companion is increased by 100, and you get to pry about their past, as well as obtain a lightsaber crystal linked to you, and $500 USD!

The Game really put it that bluntly. Oh yeah, you just get to pry about your friends' pasts now, as if they're some mystery you want to figure out! It just seemed dehumanizing to my friends. I'd never complain about a personal crystal, because the bonded crystals are incredibly powerful, and we need more money.

But I think I'm really starting to dislike this System. I liked being in control of my life for once, but it gave me control over my friends, it dehumanized them, and it gave me too much power, and I know what power does. I just lay there, frowning, resolving to tell them tomorrow as I doze off into a deep sleep.