Juba stopped behind the tree, pulled Charlotte closer, and whispered, "Are you sure about what you are saying? If you mess with me, I swear I'll get the white shadow clan on you and make you regret lying." Charlotte didn't know who that was, but he assumed he was supposed to be scared as he nodded his head.
Juba let him go and created a barrier of wind around the two. He turned to him with a serious expression and asked, "What's your ability?" He still spoke in a somewhat hushed tone and kept looking around nervously.
"Johnny said that it was the power of light. What's with all the secrecy, god, did we break some rule?" As anger surfaced in his voice, Charlotte spoke, and Juba immediately gestured for him to hush and speak quieter.
"God, I forgot that you're new, and that's pretty good. Light surrounds us, so you won't struggle with stuff. First, the important stuff: did you tell anyone that you're absorbing light?" Juba seemed to have settled down enough to look Charlotte in the eyes, and he looked at him seriously. When Charlotte shook his head, he sighed with relief.
"Alright, good, none of them have gotten to you first." Juba sighed with relief, and Charlotte started losing patience with him and his games.
"Alright, if you're just gonna waste my time and not explain who exactly would've gotten to me, I'm gonna go." Charlotte was about to force his way out of the barrier, but Juba held onto his shoulder.
"The girls are who I'm talking about; you and I are a lucky breed. Honestly, you need to be taught the basics about it all." Juba whispered in his ear as he grinned from ear to ear. "The first lesson is that you are the prize, not them. So don't settle for the first girl who confesses her love to you. Second lesson: don't settle for the first guy who confesses their love to you; you are the prize. Do you understand?" Charlotte wasted no time trying to swing at him. Juba pulled back just before the blow landed and raised his hands.
"Wait, wait, don't shoot the messenger! I wish someone had told me these things when I found out I absorbed wind." Juba laughed, watching as Charlotte tried to swing at him again. As the barrier came undone, he dodged his attack once more.
"If you're just gonna waste my time, forget I asked." Charlotte lowered his arms and began walking away; Juba walked beside him, staying just outside his range.
"Alright…I'll help you with a few conditions and be serious this time." Charlotte rolled his eyes but stopped to listen.
"First, we will train during school time. That way, I can escape cleaning that classroom. Second, you will accompany me after school and help me with training. Third, if anyone asks why we are hanging out, You will say it's because we are such close friends. Don't worry. Once you learn to use your ability and feel you don't need me, you can stop doing it if you wish." Juba smiled, waiting for his response. Charlotte meanwhile was contemplating the deal, it didn't sound that bad for him. Besides, what other option did he have? He couldn't just waste his time trying to learn his ability without guidance, especially since he still had to focus on completing the second step.
"Fine, can we start today? I still don't understand what makes us different from others. So what if we take in what we use for our ability?" Charlotte sounded slightly defeated, especially with the sigh of relief from Juba. Juba sat down against the tree and gestured for him to take a seat.
"No problem, but you should know this will be a bit of guessing on a few parts. I don't understand it completely. So I need wind to use my power. I'm taking in the wind…sorta like a lantern being filled with oil. If someone were to drain the wind to try and prevent me from using my ability, I'd use the wind I have stored inside myself just in case. Doing that would be akin to suicide for both parties, so that won't happen so I can usually make do by just using the wind around me. You understand so far?" Charlotte nods his head, and he should probably write this down on something later.
"We are unique in that sense since people don't usually take in things in such a way, which is also a disadvantage since you can be taken advantage of by someone much easier than me. I'm guessing your trick from before was caused by you absorbing all the light around you in one fell swoop; I can't imagine your Chi liked that at all. I could do the same, but I'd rather not drain myself like that, and it probably wouldn't do much good. Now here is where the advantages come in, this is gonna sound weird so just listen and don't question it." Juba again made a barrier of wind around the two, making Charlotte slightly nervous. He was about to spout nonsense again.
"We are blessed with their protection: If I am ever facing another wind user, their attacks will grow weaker, or if someone tries to strike me, the wind will move on its own to protect me. Right now, it's not noticeable, but I think that as time goes on, it will grow stronger and stronger. This next part takes a bit to show, so please stay quiet and look at my hand." Juba held up his right hand and closed his eyes. The wind barrier weakened significantly as he stared at his hand. After what felt like eons, Juba's hand slowly changed as it started to turn into the wind; it only lasted for a moment before returning to normal. Juba was sweating, and the barrier around the two collapsed as he ran his hand through his hair.
"Damn, that's difficult, and the amount of Chi it takes is frankly annoying. That's another benefit: we use up less Chi than everyone else since we use the current elements. Take, for example, Iza, for her to create one of her ice spikes. She first makes a chunk of ice and then molds it to the right shape. I would mold the wind into that shape and be done, and any other wind user would need to use his Chi to gain control of the wind and then mold it into shape. We don't see Iza do the two-step process only because she's a monster and does both steps simultaneously." He said with an exasperated sigh as he rubbed his shoulders and stood up.
"Finally, the other benefit we get is everyone's attention. Even I lost and am currently at the bottom of the school. I can still make a few friends with those outside my class. You are fortunate to have both a rare ability and being blessed. This isn't something passed down genetically; it sorta happens. That won't stop any clans or nobles from trying to claim us as little trophies to show around. When I gave you that advice from before, you needed to hear it. When people find out, and they will, especially since your teacher knows. They will come crawling like ants, offering you gifts, positions, themselves, all to secure you on their side and raise their reputation." Juba clenched his hands, and his voice sounded bitter; Charlotte could only guess he had been burned. Before he could ask, Juba walked off, and Charlotte followed behind him.
"Where are we going?" Charlotte asked curiously. Juba took a few seconds to respond, but he had his usual smile when he turned around.
"To tell my teacher I've made a new friend, and they're in need. So I won't be around her class for a while." Juba said cheerfully; Charlotte scratched the back of his head. He was starting to regret making this deal.