He's very quiet for a moment. They don't see eye-to-eye on a great many things, and he's still not sure about why she's sticking around here. But she's offering to help, and so Anders exhales and shakes his head.

"Defense. That's what I'm looking for. I know there will always be more enemies, bandits, red templars, demons, and beyond, but I'd like to focus on defense. How to stop the pointy bits. ...But this time, if you want, I could pick up a pointy thing to block the other pointy thing and protect my own fleshy bits."

These are highly technical terms he's using. Anders half-turns his head to wait for her reaction and answer. She's willing to help him. That's progress, and it means he needs to step up a little too. There are too many people who have put themselves on the line for his life; he needs to stop giving into impulse and Justice so easily.