A witch, a were-bear, genius, and a detective walk out of a dorm room. For Aliya, this was honestly one of the tamest things she’d been witness to during her 25 years of life.

“You’ve gotta leave the room too, big guy,” Aliya said, patting Sampson’s firm chest over his button-up.

He looked at her intensely, like she was an opal puzzle. Something confusing, and sublime. It was a look he’d been giving her since she’d met him officially, after the were-bear Dale helped direct a very confused, but no worse-for-wear Aliya to the crime scene.

So, her introduction to the man had been, interesting to say the least, but Aliya never let strange things keep her from digging out answers, and she needed answers.

Answers about the weird vibrancy of his aura, about the strange pull she felt towards him, about what it was that had caused her magic to go rogue and shove her into a memory. But right now, she needed answers about the case, and the funky mojo she could feel traces of in the room. Traces that Sampson, and his overwhelming aura, were making difficult to distinguish. It was like a candle to the sun. The light being completely overwhelmed by the much bigger, much more expansive presence of Sampson’s own energy.

Aliya quirked an eyebrow at the stationary man, her hand still on his chest. He gripped onto it, squeezed it briefly before placing a strangely intimate kiss on her fingertips.

Hot man did what? Aliya’s brain temporarily misfired as she watched Sampson leave the tiny room.

“Is this far enough? He asked. And dear Lord his voice.

No, Aliya gave herself a mental pep talk. Focus, you need to be a quasi-reasonable magical adult right now. Not drool over Mr. Megawatt Aura in the doorway.

Aliya refocused with a frankly disturbing effort of will that made her think their pull was not just natural attraction and chemistry. She shook out her hands, her bangles clanking gently against one another before she refocused.

“This is such bullshit” She heard the woman, probably the witch, mumble before Sampson’s carefully neutral

“Jess” had the woman reconsidering her comments.

Aliya tried to tune out the background noise, filter away the residual energy as she prepared to sus out the source of the strange magical mojo.

And sus she did.

“So, did you get anything?” Detective Jane asked once everybody had squeezed their way back into the dorm room.

“yeah, but I think I'll need some time to sort out what it all means,” Aliya replied.

“We already know there's magic residue in here,” Jess said. Her voice strangely condescending. Aliya gave her a long, searching look before seeming to find what she was looking for. Her lips tipped into a smirk before she schooled her expression, and sidled just a little bit closer to Sampson Gale. The man had stood himself directly beside her.

“That’s good to know,” Aliya said. “The SID must hire on some pretty high-level witches for you to be able to pick up on those traces.”

Unsure how to respond, Jess said nothing. The room was silent for a moment, no one, quite sure how to proceed.

“Well, I think we have all had a very long and revelatory day,” Sampson said. “I vote that we reconvene at the precinct tomorrow. When we have more information.”

“Sounds good to me,” Jane said. “I’m beat. And rookie over here looks dead on his feet.”

“What the hell time is it anyway?” Chase asked. As everybody began to stand and the room began to disperse.

“Aliya,” Sampson caught the woman's arm as she was leaving the building.

“Captain Sampson Gale,” She responded, turning back to face him, and thoroughly enjoying the warm tingling sensation that traveled up her arm and down her spine from the brief point of contact they had between them.

“I was wondering if you would come to dinner with me,” Sampson asked her. Alia looked down at where he was touching her arm.

“This feels nice,” she said. “Will you explain to me why this feels so nice at dinner?” she asked.

“I can do that.” Sampson smiled, a small, sweet thing, but amusement danced in his eyes just below the surface.

“Aliya” Samson and Aliya’s heads both snapped up at the sound of Detective Jane's voice.

“What's up, Jane?” she wasn't used to the older man looking so troubled.

“Hey, how do you feel about a trip to the morgue tonight?” he asked her.

“Spectre scavenging?” she asked him, and she felt more than heard Sampson crowding in behind her. Jane nodded affirmation, his eyes darting between the two of them Before focusing back on Alia.

“Yeah, daylight still burning, and We could probably get some answers faster this way.”

“You know, I’d usually be down, boss. But Sampson asked me out to dinner.” Aliya grinned.

“I see…” Jane said. Clearly not seeing.

“Don’t worry about it, Detective. I’ll see you at the precinct tomorrow, and if I don’t it’s definitely this guy's fault, so at least you’ll know where to start the search,” Aliya said hooking her thumb behind herself to indicate Sampson and the rest of his team.

“That's not nearly as funny as you think it is,” Jane said deadpan, though Sampson’s chuckle behind her had her shrugging her shoulders.

In any case, Aliya would finally get some answers.