The reservations Susan had about tools of close combat a year ago are still reservations she holds. She dislikes violence, though she quite enjoys her archery training. (She's less likely now to insist that she's better at a distance - she no longer believes many the layers underlying this sort of claim.)

But more than that, she loves this man - this darling, wonderful man who has learned so many things just to be able to discuss her interests with her. "If you teach me," she says, eyes twinkling, "and turn it into a flirtation, then I suppose I could."