Marrying into wealth had its advantages. The fame and prestige was one, of course. Getting to go anywhere you wanted? No question. The company of the wealthy and powerful? Without a doubt. But there were other perks as well - and one of them was that, if you wanted to reserve a local gym for the night, no one was going to stop you. There were plenty of smaller gyms within a taxi's ride of Midtown Manhattan that weren't going to bat an eye at a princely sum forked over to make sure you had the next few hours all to yourself, free of any prying eyes that might get in the way of your schemes or any unwanted guests making too much noise for your liking. And when faced with the fortunes that Cynara Morgan had at her disposal, the managers of those gyms would look the other way for anything.
That was how Cynara and her daughter, Mina, found themselves that morning with the gym all to themselves. All the better for what they'd come for today - seeing to the training of her latest student, Clara. The white-haired girl had made her debut not too long ago, facing off against Mina in an apartment match held under Cynara's watchful eye, and that had shown her just how much potential Clara had in her. She had burned herself out and gotten knocked out by a stray blow not long after the match began, yes, but in that time, she had actually managed to put Mina Morgan, the AHW United States Champion, on the proverbial ropes. Anyone who could stand up to her daughter without any fear and shrug off whatever came their way definitely had it in them to go places. And the fact that Clara was so thankful for the support Cynara was willing to show her that she would do whatever Cynara asked without a question only sealed the deal. All Clara needed was the right guidance to make her into a force to be reckoned with - but then, Cynara was happy to provide that. And she'd start with a bit of sparring.
"You're sure about this, Mom?" Mina grumbled. She sat on her knees on the padded floors in the main room of the gym, dressed in a simple white t-shirt and black gym shorts, with her chin resting in her hand. She looked off toward the doors to the locker room with a less-than-impressed look on her face. Mina knew that her mother was practically infatuated with Clara and what she could do for her, and it made her wonder how much longer she needed to watch her back. She knew Cynara had promised time and time again that she could never be replaced, but she had said a lot of things that she was fully prepared to go back on when it was convenient for her to do so.
"Dear, anyone who can go toe to toe with you is worth a watch in my book," the former champion insisted, sitting on a bench nearby watching the mats. "Rest assured, I have plenty of room for both of you." With a smug smile, she looked back up at the door, waiting for when Clara would finish in the locker rooms.
Cynara Morgan
Mina Morgan
