"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."

"...I wouldn't have any reason to think you'd be lying," she says, slowly. "Did the monster person use the gym for... monster... stuff?"

"Did you kill him too?"

Because he should have done, it sounds like.

"Uh huh. What d'you mean, kept? Like...a pet?"

"I'm going to level with you, 'straightforward' isn't the word I'd use to describe anything you've ever told me," Cass points out.