The Wordsmith's Forge

Closed, withdrawn body language is often a sign of victimization, and sadly, victimizers often target those who have already been victimized -- it's easier to break the branch that has already been cut, or did not learn to stand boldly. Those who are timid or withdrawn in public are usually targeted because of the reduced chance of fighting back of speaking out. In self-defense classes, one's body language is trained to appear bold and outgoing, because this has a higher chance of putting off random assault. So it's good that Cassandra got to the SPOON base without being attacked, and it's good that she's seeking self-defense training. Otherwise she has a high chance of being attacked and misused again.