A Korpsman's Purpose || WH40K Korpsman Reader x RWBY

Chapter Six - Curse of the Gab

Ever since that day last week, it's been hard to ignore just how this gift of mine may influence the people around me. It's almost like every time I speak, something in the world shifts to align with whatever I said. Somehow, everybody has their schedules clear whenever I do, since they're always able to hang out, and somehow, I seem to be a magnet for attractive young women.

Before I just figured that I was somehow blessed by the Emperor to meet such nice people and have things go my way socially, but, now I can see that I was blessed by the farthest thing from the Emperor.

"(Y/N)! How are things?" Jaune asks as he starts walking beside me. Ruby and the girls introduced me to Jaune and his team a few days ago and they've really taken to me, Jaune especially, since it almost seems like I'm his only male friend other than Ren, and even he keeps his distance.

"Oh, hey Jaune. Things are... well, they are." I shrug, sighing softly and Jaune pats me on the back.

"Gloomy as ever. You know man, you've gotta work on your mindset a little. I'm starting to think that Ruby has been sapping all your life to use for herself because ever since you showed up, she's been three times as energetic."

"Great to hear I liven things up so much..." I grumble, wiping the exhaustion from my eyes.

"Liven things up? I feel as if that may be an understatement." I jump a little as Ren suddenly appears behind us, butting into our conversation. I can see Jaune almost piss himself as his soul begins leaving his body. Ren is a wildcard. He's polite and overall a nice dude, though he sets off all kinds of alarm bells because I struggle to sense his presence like I can others. I can't feel his eyes on me when he looks at me and I can't hear his footsteps. The fucker even silences his breathing.

Escapes me why a man would need to do so much to conceal himself, but I've also heard tell he's some kind of ambush attacker. Sounds like T'au pussy shit if you ask me, but that's neither here nor there. Who am I to judge what works?

"What do you mean, an understatement?" I ask him curiously.

"Since you came here, everyone seems a little more energized and at least they've had more to talk about. After all, one of your first actions here was to threaten then beat down the biggest prick in the school. Since then, he's had a change of heart. He was a bully who hurt others to make himself feel something, but when he saw somebody willing to fight him to the death just because of some bullying, I think that messed him up a little. Messed him up for the better." Ren gives a soft laugh as he starts walking beside me, then Jaune takes an extra second to bring himself back from the dead to follow up next to us.

"Yesterday, Cardin asked me to sit with him at lunch and then he apologized for the grief he caused me. Caught me totally off-guard, let me tell you." Jaune smiles and laughs along with Ren, and I just slightly turn my head down.

They don't really care for me. They aren't my friends. They are influenced by this 'Gift', drawn to me by whatever otherworldly power that I have had forcefully implanted in me. My eye twitches a little and Jaune looks at me with a slightly concerned expression.

"You good, (Y/N)?" Jaune's question makes Ren look at me as well, and I walk slightly faster to bring my face out of their sight as I grab my sack respirator and pull it over my head, concealing my face.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine, just... past troubles," I dismiss Jaune's concern, but that doesn't seem to dispel either of their worries. As far as anyone around me knows, they think I come from some warlike village in the backwater country. They know that I've been a soldier since I was a boy and I can often use that as an excuse for my standoffishness. There are many points they don't prod at because they think I'm some kind of trauma-child, and I am perfectly happy with this arrangement.