Dawn was beyond stressed lately. She'd begun to avoid almost everyone at the prison, even Connor when she could, but like she'd told Buffy it seemed, sometimes, like he was always there. All the people who wanted to talk to her about things - Connor, Dimitri, Allison - didn't seem to get the fact that Dawn didn't know what to say. Her emotions hadn't been this conflicted in a long time, and she was beginning to miss the months she'd been on the road on her own if only because back then she'd known all the right things to do: kill zombies, avoid people, stay alive. Now, there were just so many emotions around her and she was starting to feel overwhelmed, not knowing anymore how she was supposed to react, particularly around her sister. Talking to her, hugging her, touching her had felt so right - almost normal, despite her cold hands - but Dawn knew better than to let herself grow complacent. She had a feeling she knew what Buffy's ultimate plan was, and having her around was making it even harder to guard her own heart.
At the moment, she was in the gym. There was no one else around, which was the way she liked it. Her hair was tied back in a loose bun and she wore a slightly fitted Deftones tee shirt over a black sports bra, and black yoga pants, with hiking boots on her feet. She was in the middle of attacking the punching bag and didn't hear Connor enter, never knew he was staring. When the throat clearing came, she stood for a moment as she caught her breath, then finally turned to him as he finished speaking, swiping an arm over her forehead to get rid of some sweat. Cool blue eyes studied him for a moment before she turned and walked over to a bench to strap on her gun and shrug into her coat, then sling a crossbow over her shoulders.
"Wasn't planning on going to the party anyway." She used to like parties, a lot, but she had no interest in this wine party Neal was throwing. She rarely drank because she liked keeping a clear head, and lately hadn't been interested in crowds anyway. Glancing at the thermos, she started for him and the door. "You don't have to bribe me with coffee," she muttered as she passed him.