Lexa looked around the lobby of the Ark Apartments with a small frown. Beside her Clarke was grimacing as she took in the state of things. The tile was cracked, and the areas with carpet was so stained at first glance she thought brown was the actual color. Anya was grumbling under her breath nearby, her sharp eyes noting the faded paint and general uncleanliness. Things were already off to a bad start. Off to the side, Jaha was standing off to side, trying to seem calm as he started to sweat. The last thing he had expected was for the owners to pay a random visit. He needed to play things cool.
"So, Jaha, was it? I'm a little concerned on the state of the building. According to our records you had a roof replacement, new tiling, carpeting, and insulation update two years ago. How have things come to this state? Were there outside forces that expedited the wearing process?" Lexa asked, careful to keep her tone light so as to seem calm. Better to give false security now to see if things slipped.
"Well we had some severe weather and much of the repairs sustained damage, so things got a little more worn more quickly. We have been in the process of figuring out what has gotten more damaged than the rest before sending in the request forms," Jaha simpered, trying to seem like he had been his job.
All three women barely held back an eyeroll. Things had obviously been neglected for years, but no need to tip him off now. The more relaxed he becomes, the more true information they would receive.
"Good, thank you. We have made a list units we would like to inspect. If you would lead the way, we can get things started," Clarke jumped in before handing him a list.
Jaha gave the list a quick scan, his eyes widening slightly as he took in the unit numbers. Gulping silently, he knew he had no choice so he gave them a fake grin before leading them to the stairwell.
"Forgive the need for the stairs, the elevator suffered a small issue recently and we are currently getting it repaired."
Clarke's frown deepened as they went up the first floor. "What of your disabled residents? The ones in wheelchairs, or with canes? Things must be very difficult for them without the elevator. What are the measures taken to help them?"
Jaha faltered on a step, sweat dotting his brow as he scrambled for an answer. "None of our current residents are wheelchair users, but I have been personally assisting those who need it on the stairs, or the doorman when I am not here."
Clarke nodded slightly, letting out a small hum. His answers didn't match the resident forms they had, but she would wait until they finished before confronting him about it.
They soon reached the second floor with the first unit to inspect. It didn't take long, the elderly man who resided was very courteous and happily answered all their questions. Clarke felt her heart pinch slightly as she noticed the worn down carpet, parts were starting to curl up. Looking at the cane leaning next to his chair, she wondered how often he tripped walking around. Making a small note, she plastered a smile as she thanked him and they continued. This was mostly how the rest of the inspection went. They visited all but one, as that person was not at home. When they finally reached the sixth floor, it was all any of them could do to contain their excitement. Jaha knocked on the door, and a moment later Raven peaked her head out. Clarke felt tears prick her eyes for a moment before controlling herself. Her sister was back, looking just as she always did.
"Jaha. Finally answering that heater request I gave you months ago?" Raven snarked slightly before seeing the women. Her eyes widened slightly at seeing Anya, who gave her a small wave.
Jaha clenched his teeth slightly as he forced a fake smile. "Nonsense, Ms. Reyes. You know we take repairs seriously. Perhaps you didn't turn the form in?" he grit out, giving her a pointed glare.
She swallowed slightly before nodding. "Right, my mistake. Hey Anya, nice seeing you. Thanks again for the help last night, I have your jacket by the way. Now how can I help you? This hardly seems like a social call," she asked bluntly while leaning on the door frame.
"We are the owners of this complex, and our here for the inspection. I assume you received notice, is that correct?" Lexa asked, keeping her tone neutral but pleasant.
Raven raised an eyebrow as she shook her head. "No, I'm afraid not. Maybe it fell off my door? Seems to happen a lot after the fifth floor," she said sarcastically while looking at Jaha.
"I apologize for the lack of notice. If it is not an inconvenience, would it be alright if we inspected your unit? We are doing some random inspections and yours is the last on our list," Clarke piped in.
Raven looked at her a moment, a small hint of confusion in her eyes. Why did these people seem familiar? Shaking her head slightly, she opened the door fully and stepped aside. "Sure, no problem. Pardon the mess, I've been doing some work for my job."
The mess, as she called it, was a small workstation in the dining area. A tarp covered the floor to catch any oil, and small pieces of mechanical work was covering the surface. The rest of her home left Anya fuming. There was no heat, and it was almost bitterly cold. The kitchen appliances were so outdated she wondered how they even worked, and her carpet had holes in it from age. Water barely came from the faucets when they were checked, and her bathtub had a large crack down one side that had been duct taped. Her lips thinned as she saw the laundry area, and noted the amount of towels around the washer.
"Ms. Reyes, this washer was here when you rented the unit, correct?"
"Yup, been here as long as I have at least. Sorry about the towels, it leaks when I use it so this keeps out a flood," Raven mumbled, keeping her voice low. Embarrassment covered her face, the shame creeping in at Anya seeing where she lived. She didn't know why this woman's opinion mattered to her so much but it did.
"I see. Thank you, miss," Anya said shortly as she wrote a number of things down.
Lexa moved forward, jerking her head at Anya to keep Jaha occupied for a moment.
Keeping her voice quiet so as not to be overheard, she offered Raven a reassuring smile. "Ms. Reyes, we have in our file that you have been living with us for a few years now. How often has your apartment been part of the overall repair of worn down parts?"
Raven gave her a startled look and a shrug. "Umm, never? I don't think anyone here that I know has had any maintenance for worn down stuff. It's in our lease, ya know? Nothing gets replaced unless broken and carpeting, paint, etc. when we leave comes from our deposit."
Lexa blinked at that before frowning angrily. "Ms. Reyes, I would like to apologize now as there seems to be a misunderstanding on how things are meant to be run. Standard procedure is that carpet is to be replaced along with repainting every two years even if resident is still residing there. None of that comes from the deposit, it is just a part of normal maintenance. If you would be so kind as to write down what all needs to be repaired here, we will get things started. I apologize again that you have not been met with the standards that you should have been as a resident with our company. Rest assured we will be rectifying that situation promptly," she told Raven as she leveled her gaze at Jaha. The man was openly sweating, knowing he was done. There was no way he was getting out of this.
Clarke gave a small chuckle as she strode forward, placing a hand on Lexa's arm. "Well, so much for keeping him out of the know until the end. Anyway, we truly are sorry you had to live this way for so long. That all of you have. We are making plans to fix everything immediately to get this place up to our standards as it should be."
Raven could only gape at them before turning to Anya. The taller woman gave her a shy smile as she moved forward.
"So I never imagined meeting you last night would lead to this, cheekbones. I guess thanks are in order. Some of the people here really need some help. Old man Nyko on the fifth floor has to have his son carry him down whenever he wants to leave since he's in a chair. Can't exactly roll down the steps. Maybe first thing you could do is fix the elevator? That things been down for over a year!"
Clarke raised a brow as she looked at Jaha. "A chair? As in a wheelchair? Tell me, Jaha, didn't you say earlier that none of your residents were wheelchair users? Seems as if the stories don't quite match up," she said dryly.
Jaha didn't respond, choosing instead to shoot Raven a fierce glare. Anya moved in front of her with a glare of her own.
"I think we have seen enough. Thelonius Jaha, you are hereby fired from your position. You have 15 minutes to clear out your office and vacate the premises before police are called. Lexa will be overseeing your dismissal to ensure that nothing is taken that shouldn't be. I would suggest you go now."
Jaha spluttered indignantly as he looked between them. "You can't do this! I have been taking care of this rundown shack for YEARS! You can't believe this bitch, nothing she says is true. Orphans always lie!" he roared.
Raven flinched at the revealing of her lineage as Anya snarled in anger.
"You will watch your tongue! Your incompetence is why you are being let go, deal with it! Do better elsewhere, but rest assured that you will be getting no where near one of our companies again! Now get out!" Clarke snapped, barely noticing Lexa's hand holding her back.
"Come Jaha, we will get your things. Try to have some decency," Lexa stated flatly before leading the angry man away.
Clarke followed them, muttering obscenities under her breath. Soon it was only Anya and Raven, both looking at each other warily.
"Forgive me, Raven. We all lost our temper for a moment. I hope knowing I own this place does not alter how you see me. Perhaps we could get that coffee and just be… Anya and Raven for a short while?" Anya asked nervously.
Raven stared blankly for a moment before giving a small smile. "I think I'd like that very much. This does at least explain why my building was so interesting last night," she mused.
Anya barked out a laugh as they left the apartment, Raven pausing to lock the door behind her. "I actually wasn't sure at the time, had to look up where I knew it from. I'm glad I did though, who knows how long this would have gone on."
Raven just laughed as she grinned up at her. "True, he's never fixed anything unless he had to. I'm glad you guys came today. A lot of the people here could really use the maintenance."
Anya just smiled as they stepped into the lobby. Jaha was gone, and she could hear Clarke on the phone with someone about fixing the elevator. Lexa poked her head out of the office and ginned at them.
"Hey, Clarke is trying to get someone by today to look at the elevator. I'm going to start looking through the files here. They are such a mess! Nothing organized, lazy asshole. Are you heading somewhere?" she asked with a small glint in her eyes.
"Coffee, with the lovely little bird. Text me if you guys want something, we will be back later," Anya threw out before leading Raven out the door. A quick sniff and glance around told her Jaha was not nearby, thankfully. Turning to Raven, she shyly held out her hand for the other woman to take. The Latina did so readily, flashing her a smirk as Anya led her to a nearby coffee house. Let the games begin.