Cassandra just rolls her eyes at the description 'semi-archaic'. It's not like she's never heard anything similar from Varian. Anyway, Jon's the one who apparently hasn't mastered holding a tube.

She picks up the rapier, pulling it smoothly from the scabbard, weighing the blade in her hand.

"....this is nice. Good balance. Thanks."

She sheaths the rapier, hangs the scabbard on her belt, and then goes about inspecting the dagger. It, too, earns a nod of approval.

It's not the Moon Stone, not the sense of invulnerability that came with it, but it's something. It's a familiar weight, and she feels safer for having it.

"I'll do you a favor and try not to use these," she drawls.

She smirks.

"If I was a really committed axe murderer, wouldn't a sword be pretty safe?"

Cassandra just scoffs and reaches for the bottle of water she's been using.

"Sticking a sword to a branch does not make it an axe."

"It'd be a sword stuck to a branch," she says, "and I don't think any self-respecting axe murderer is going to be into that. Can you hold your own in a fight, Jonny?"

"You sound like a lot of people I've met," she says, wryly. "Ever wanted to get any better? At defending yourself, not being stabbed."

Cassandra shrugs.

"I think you could try. You're not always going to have your spooky powers here, so."

The port proved that beyond much doubt.

"I mean, it will," she drawls. "At first. But you've already said you're pretty good at taking a hit."

"I can pull my punches," she says lightly, shrugging. "I'm not a total monster."

But also pain is a great teacher etc etc.

"Lemme rephrase. I can pull my punches at first. The idea is getting you to a point where you don't actually have to take a hit," Cassandra says.

"Depends. Do you think you're going to have time to stretch if someone tries to kill you?"

She's accessing previously unheard-of levels of sarcasm, but she feels like he deserves it.

Cassandra rolls her eyes and just moves on.

"Do you do anything else to keep fit? Running, swimming?"

"Well, it's something you might wanna take up if you're serious about being able to look after yourself," she says, a little more seriously now. "Even if it's just to make you better at running away from...whatever."