He decided to observe before interfering.
Nia looked from one woman to the next.
“You're champions?” she asked.
Madison tapped a knuckle against her chest.
“National kickboxing.”
Brooke said, “Jiu-jitsu.”
Tessa smiled.
“Mixed rules.”
Nia nodded.
“Congratulations.”
The answer was so sincere that it briefly confused them.
Madison recovered first.
“Thanks. So?”
Nia placed her water bottle at the edge of the mat.
“I don't care.”
Tessa blinked.
“You don't care which one?”
“No.”
Brooke laughed.
“That confidence came out of nowhere.”
“It didn't.”
The room became a little quieter.
Madison tilted her head.
“Then choose.”
Nia looked at all three again.
“Whoever needs the round most.”
The laughter that followed was immediate.
Not everyone laughed, but enough people did.
Madison covered her mouth as if Nia had accidentally told a joke.
Brooke shook her head.
Tessa looked delighted.
“Oh,” Tessa said. “I like her.”
Madison stepped forward.
“I'll go.”
Brooke touched her shoulder.
“Wait. Let her choose. That was the whole point.”
Nia exhaled through her nose.
“I already did.”
They stared at her.
“All three of you look like you need the round.”
The laughter grew louder.
Someone near the wall muttered, “That's a bold first night.”
Madison's grin faded.
“What's your name?”
“Nia.”
“Last name?”
“Carter.”
“Okay, Nia Carter. Do you understand who you're talking to?”
Nia looked at her.
“Yes.”
“Then you understand why people usually choose one of us.”
“I assume they want to train with you.”
“They want to test themselves.”
“Then they should.”
Madison narrowed her eyes.
“You think you can handle all three?”
Nia did not answer immediately.
She glanced toward the center of the mat, where the other members had gathered.
Then she looked back at Madison.
“I think you should ask your coach what kind of round this is supposed to be.”
Daniel stepped forward.
“That's a good question.”
Madison turned.
“Daniel, we're just welcoming her.”
“Then welcome her.”
“We are.”
“Not the way it looks.”
Brooke raised her hands.
“It's a light round. Nobody's trying to hurt anybody.”
Daniel looked at her.
“Then there shouldn't be a problem keeping it light.”
Tessa shrugged.
“She's the one making it complicated.”
Nia looked toward Daniel.
“I don't mind training with someone. I just don't want to turn my first evening here into a contest over who gets to embarrass whom.”
The words landed more heavily than she had intended.
Madison's expression changed.
“Embarrass you?”
Nia nodded.
“That's what this is starting to sound like.”
Madison laughed, but there was no warmth in it.
“You think pretty highly of yourself.”
“No.”
“Then why are you acting like you're above choosing?”
“I'm not above it.”
Nia paused.
“I just don't think any of you should be choosing the terms for me.”
For the first time that evening, Daniel saw Madison lose her next line.
It lasted only a second.
Then she stepped closer.
“Fine. Let's do it properly.”
Daniel raised a hand.
“Madison.”
She ignored him.
“Three rounds. One with each of us. Light contact. Nothing serious.”
Nia looked at the three women.
“Why?”
Madison frowned.
“Because you seem to think you can handle us.”
“I didn't say that.”
“You said all three of us need the round.”
“I did.”
“Then prove it.”
Daniel stepped between them.
“No.”
Madison looked at him.
“What's the problem?”
“The problem is that she's a new member, and this isn't a competition event.”
“It's training.”
“Then train.”
Brooke crossed her arms.
“Daniel, you're making it sound like we're bullying her.”
Daniel glanced at Nia.
“Are you?”
Brooke's smile disappeared.
Nia answered before the argument could grow.
“I don't need anyone to fight my battles.”
Daniel looked at her.
“I know.”
“Then let me decide.”
He hesitated.
He was not sure he liked the direction the conversation was taking.
But he understood that refusing to let an adult choose her own training partners would create another problem.
“Any contact has to be controlled,” he said. “No hard shots. No submissions cranked. No trying to prove anything. If I call stop, you stop.”
Madison shrugged.
“Obviously.”
Daniel did not look convinced.
He turned to Nia.
“You comfortable with that?”
“Yes.”
“You can stop at any point.”
“I understand.”
“And you don't owe anybody a demonstration.”
“I know.”
Nia looked toward the three champions.
“Who goes first?”
Madison smiled again.
“Me.”
The first warning
The gym began to settle into a loose circle around the mat.
Some members returned to their training.
Others stayed.
The television in the lobby continued playing a championship highlight reel, its sound barely audible through the glass doors.
Daniel asked Madison to remove her gloves and put on the lighter training gloves kept near the mat.
He also asked Nia whether she had her own equipment.
She opened her duffel.
Inside were a pair of worn black gloves, hand wraps, a mouthguard, and a folded rash guard.
Nothing expensive.
Nothing unusual.
But Daniel noticed the gloves.
They were old, carefully maintained, and shaped by years of use.
The leather had softened around the knuckles.
The stitching had been repaired in two places.
The wrist straps were clean.
They did not look like equipment someone had purchased for a beginner class.
Nia wrapped her hands without speaking.
The process was quick and practiced.
She secured the thumb loops, crossed the fabric over her wrists, wrapped each knuckle, and finished with the straps.
No wasted movement.
Daniel watched.
“How long have you trained?” he asked quietly.
Nia finished the final wrap.
“Since I was a kid.”
“What disciplines?”
“Boxing first. Then wrestling. Jiu-jitsu. Kickboxing. Some mixed rules.”
Daniel nodded.
“Competitive?”
“Sometimes.”
“Recently?”
“Not for a while.”
He studied her.
“Why not?”
Nia glanced toward Madison, who was bouncing lightly on the balls of her feet.
“Life.”
Daniel understood that answer.