James knows better than to underestimate anyone especially because they're a woman. It was Amilya, a witch, who saved his life and taught him how to turn grief into a weapon, into vengeance. It was Elena (as much as it hurts to think of her name sometimes, to think of her), who stood in front of the king of the vampires unafraid and made demands of him, using her own life as a bargaining chip. He's partnered up with hunters who were also women so he knows better after all these years than to underestimate someone for that reason alone (knows better than to underestimate anyone, people are rarely what they seem).

"I'm good with hand to hand too, but if you wanted to learn any other weapon too, I could help," he says, but for now they can practice hand to hand. He releases the sword in his hand, indicating her to move toward the center of the mat.