At the Magic Box, Buffy opens the door and surveys the interior. Giles stands in the middle of the store all Hogwartsed out in sorcerer's gear. Buffy just stares at him while Giles smiles placidly for a moment before shame-facedly removing his pointy cap and velvet robe. When Dawn stumbles in out of breath and asks what time they will be open for business, Giles tersely replies that they opened an hour ago. Buffy tells Dawn to go and browse while Giles tries to convince himself that business will pick up soon. They're interrupted by Willow, who animatedly asks where Giles's hat and gown are, and Riley. Buffy pulls out the orb thing and asks if anyone can identify it. Giles states that it's "paranormal in origin," and when Willow asks what makes him so sure of that, he matter-of-factly replies, "Well, it's so shiny." Works for me. Riley suggests that he accompany Buffy on patrol, but Dawn breaks in with, "He can't patrol. Buffy said." Buffy protests that she said no such thing, but Dawn proceeds to quote her directly for Riley's benefit: "She just said you look even cuter when you're all weak and kitteny, and she'd better go solo or you'd get hurt." Buffy shoots Dawn a death look while everyone else stands silent and still. Dawn doesn't understand why everyone's upset with her, and Riley goes into the back room with Giles in order to try solving his problems with violence. Sigh. Willow takes Buffy aside and tells her to be lenient with Dawn, but Buffy is jealous that Dawn can be a kid while she has to protect everyone. Hey, hasn't she had this exact same conversation in every episode featuring Dawn this season? Buffy bitches some more about how she wishes she were an only child (and so do I at this point, if only to get her to SHUT UP about Dawn) while Dawn breaks something.