The fight between the teachers came to an end, the shifty looking man the victor.  Rhiannon blew out between thin lips, unimpressed with the woman's loss.  Or rather, angry that the person she had instantly preferred out of the two had been defeated.  Many around her seemed awed by the fight, and in a way she was as well, but she was more focussed on giving herself an advantage for the trials ahead.  Her wielding glove glowed slightly as she searched for traces of water, building a small map in her head from what scant information she could gather from the results.

She was one of the few in the crowd who could not display an emblem proudly; her coat was plain.  It amused her that an emblem was meant to mark one out but in that sea of faces, the lack of an emblem made one more distinguishable than those display one.  Then it was time for the trial, the headmaster leaving with the two teachers he had arrived with.  With the start of the entrance exam, as it were, there was a moment of silence with no one really sure what to do.

Then students and teachers rushed into the jungle en masse, as if burning off their energy reserves in this heat would help them.  Rhiannon rolled her eyes, sitting on a rock as she contemplated her next move.  She only had her Wielding glove, like the other applicants, and was somewhat missing her quarter staff.  Although she no longer needed it, having regained most of her physical and mental sure-footedness after the event a week ago, she had grown used to carrying it and have it near.  The polished wood had even become a source of comfort, like a prized possession.  Shaking her head, she rid herself of such thoughts and focused on her immediate situation.

A few others had stayed in the clearing, some of them too afraid to move while others looked merely nonchalant.  She deduced that the latter were probably previous students or, like her, had some experience with adverse weather conditions.  Of course, she was a Wielder of the water element so she would have little trouble in finding, or creating, sources of water for herself.  That said, there was plenty to be found in a jungle anyway if one knew where to look.

"I suppose that's enough of a head start.  They should be suitably lost by now."  Rhiannon said to herself before standing up.  She rolled her shoulders, loosening her muscles before ploughing into the jungle with all her senses aware.  Having been born in a dangerous area full of people she didn't know, the young redhead had a good instinctive feeling for threats and she had sensed immediately amongst the crowd that at least [i]some[/i] students liked the opportunity to test their abilities on others.  Anonymously.

"They wouldn't have the courage to do it out in the open, now would they?" She muttered to herself, approaching a ditch created by a long-ago dried up stream.  She did not break her stride, planting her foot heavily onto the very edge of her side of the tiny ravine and hurled herself across the gap with nimble ease, rolling to break her fall and then rising into a measured jog on the other side.

"First thing's first, how about some water."  She had sensed from their time in the clearing a small source of water, slightly off what was probably a lake or some larger body of water, which few students would go to.  Most would simply head for the larger source, or find themselves there by accident.  Reducing the amount of contact she had with others seemed like the smartest way to go with this entrance test.  She burst into the clearing around the small lagoon, with its waterfall, and noticed she seemed to be the first to find it.

A shadow in the water drew her attention and she saw a snake curving its way towards her amongst the mud.  Dropping to a crouch she dropped back from the water's edge onto more solid ground and watched cautiously.  Unconsciously she flexed the hand with which she word her Wielding gauntlet, ready to toss the snake across the lagoon with a wave.  She sensed someone watching her and glanced up to the waterfall but saw no one.  Still, it nagged at her and she wondered whether someone else had in fact arrived here before her.

"...An illusion?  Best not to test it.  There's plenty of similar places nearby."  She wasn't good with seeing through or beating such tricks and so dropped back into the jungle, leaving the potential mind wielder to the water.  Rhiannon wasn't entirely sure whether it was an illusion or not and already regretted the suspicion that was weighing on her mind but in this situation it would be best not to risk anything.  She resolved to research mind wielding techniques in the future; if she had been subjected to the power then it had been by a pupil and she had no idea how to break its hold.  This trial in the jungle could turn out to be more taxing than she had first thought.