Poll
14%
86%
Having been raised with no language to communicate with other than violence, Cassandra is exceptionally adept at reading people's body language. It speaks volumes where words do not, giving her amazing insight into people. She can decipher things about a person from the way they stand and walk, from the way the muscles sit on their face and limbs, from the way their eyes shift to the way they're breathing... things they may not even be aware that they're broadcasting like signal flares just being in her presence. In combat, it's a formidable obstacle to overcome for people who don't realize they're telegraphing their every move and intention in a way she can readily see and account for.Though she temporarily lost her ability to read body language thanks to a telepath that reorganized her mind so that she could think with words instead of movements, she regained it with Shiva's help. The cost was high, but well worth it, as far as Cassandra is concerned.
When it came to teaching Cassandra the tricks of the assassin trade, Martial Arts were the area she showed the most aptitude for. It became as naturally to her as walking, which is probably because she began learning the one not too terribly long after she'd learned the other. It took the place of the normal development of language skills, and -became- her language. Her one and only method of communicating with the outside world. Her body was a living, breathing extension of the only vocabulary she ever knew, and that was physical combat. She doesn't have to think to act, she just acts, shaving precious seconds off her reaction times that can mean the difference between a connecting blow and a near miss or a blocked shot. It also frees her mind up for processing other vital information during a fight, speeding up her mental reflexes and allowing her to keep track of far more that's going on than most people could hope to accomplish in a fight without being metahuman.
Cassandra's training was an amalgam of disciplines, giving her comprehensive and fundamental knowledge of everything Cain himself knew in one big bundled package. There were no seams to separate one style from the other. She knows an incredible number of different punches and kicks, various uses of knees and elbows, and other body parts that can be turned into weapons under the right circumstances (like her head). She knows ground fighting and control techniques, close quarters combat, and grappling techniques. These come effortlessly to her, and are by now so second nature that she will fall into them by instinct whenever they become appropriate to the situation she's in.
Cassandra has also studied some of the more advanced martial arts techniques such as sa ki and body positioning, things that help her dodge blows she hasn't even seen or heard coming through strategically position herself. That way, she can deflect incoming hostile activity with just the slightest motions so that they're fighting themselves and their own actions more than they're fighting her.
Against unreadable opponents, Cassandra's skill suffers. She does much better when she's able to see the telltale signs of an inbound strike and react accordingly.
At this point in time Cassandra is considered one of the best martial artists in the world, even at her young age. Connor is very close to her general level of ability, though she would have a tremendous advantage over him should they resort to brawling instead of true martial arts. Lady Shiva is still better than her in actual skill, even though Cassandra has bested her in combat at least once. Twice, if you consider the cheap punch she threw to get even, back after their first confrontation, but Cassandra doesn't.