AN: I wanted to post this yesterday, but it got busy for me after late morning. Hope you guys are still sticking around. Enjoy and sorry for any mistakes.


When Clarke walked into the building, she got as much as she expected. The building was not entirely rundown, but it was nothing compared to the high-rise Raven lived in, nor the hotel she stayed at.

It was all painted the same dreary eggshell white, and only the window borders were reserved for color. The color was not a pleasing one, but it was color nonetheless.

She walked through the gated entrance as the landlord ushered her in past a wall of mailboxes and towards the stair case that led to the second floor. Her eyes jumped from one side of the large communal patio to the other to the numerous apartment doors that were painted the same unpleasant maroon tone as the trims.

Clarke made sure not to cringe openly at the lack of life in the colors, and hoped that the interior of the apartment was better off.

"Thank you for coming on such short notice, Ms. Griffin, but our latest tenant left without notice and an unpaid month." The blonde nodded before she assured the man that it was no issue for her. "Anything you see that needs attention, please bring it up in case it is not already on our maintenance request. If you decide you want to join us here at The Gardens, you can rest assured any upgrades will be completed before your arrival." The man stated politely before he led her to the door of the vacant apartment.

She held her breath and prepared herself when the door was opened for her. It was a pleasant surprise to see the walls and carpet were in fair condition and for the most part clean. The kitchen and dining areas were small and to the right lined with semi-modern laminate tile, but she was happy the living room was a decent size. "May I?" Clarke turned to the landlord to gain access to the inside and he nodded in return.

A narrow hallway past the living room ended at the farthest wall, which in reality was not very far at all. It separated the one bedroom and a small washroom. The bedroom was not very spacious, she could fit a full-sized bed at most if she wanted a nightstand for her alarm clock and phone dock, and the closet was a decent size, but the large window that adorned the far wall was enough to breathe life into the space. She loved the natural light in the room.

Clarke finished inspecting the washroom before she walked out to meet the landlord who stood in the would-be dining room. He smiled expectantly at her and waited for her verdict. "What do you think, Ms. Griffin?"

"When can I move in?" The blonde smiled at her latest feat.

They soon locked up and walked to the Manager's Office where they discussed the contract and the process that would have to take place before she was cleared to take residence.


Raven walked towards the blonde as soon as she saw her enter Tassels. Her awkward smirk was evidence that she had something to talk about with her so she readied herself.

"Word on the street is that Echo dumped Bellamy…again…because she thinks he has a thing for you." The brunette jumped straight into the conversation as she wrapped her arm around the blonde's shoulders. Clarke tried to process the information.

"That's insane, he barely knows me." Clarke argued as she looked quickly to Lexa for help, but the girl only smiled with a hello nod and continued to prepare her work station. Raven shrugged and the blonde couldn't help but notice the girl's expression. She seemed confused with Clarke's reaction. Relieved even.

Raven huffed out with a wave of her free hand. "If there's one thing Bellamy is good at its finding chemistry where there is none." She smirked. "Trust me, he didn't deny it when Echo confronted him upstairs."

Clarke stiffened at the words and stopped in her tracks to turn and face Raven fully. "They're discussing this here? Right now?" Raven nodded. "Please keep me out of this. I have no intention of getting thrust into a dramatic love triangle." She replied while looking Raven square in the eye. "Please."

Raven shrugged, hurt by the tone Clarke had used. "Yeah, of course. I just wanted to give you the heads up."

Her wounded expression made Clarke feel guilty about unleashing her frustration on her. She shook her head at herself before she patted Raven on the shoulder. "Thanks, Raven. Sorry. I just don't like confrontations especially if it isn't warranted." She shrugged.

Suddenly losing interest in walking upstairs to her locker, the blonde headed back towards the bar after smiling gratefully at Raven one last time.

She watched the girl disappear up the stairs before she exhaled heavily with her head in her hands and her elbows on the bar top. "Don't worry, Echo will be over it before the night ends. And Raven's ok." Lexa commented as she too looked over at Raven's departure.

With another heavy sigh, Clarke shook her head in her hands and turned to look at the brunette. "I was wondering when the drama was going to start." She admitted.

Lexa shook her head at the girl and continued to move around her to finish her setup. "It hasn't started. Stay away from it and you'll never be sucked into it."

"I never even went near it." Clark deadpanned before she straightened and decided she would pretend as though she never found out. Her day had been great, and she refused to let anything ruin it.

"Bellamy is the playboy of the group, and he can be a real lady killer, but if you draw the line he will respect it. Who knows, you might even gain a good friend from it. He's a good guy."

Clarke nodded before she smiled wide and changed the subject. "Anyway, guess who found a place." She looked at the brunette.

"Really?" Lexa beamed in return. "Great. When do we get to see it?"

The blonde moved around to collect her essentials for the night while she replied. "I have to wait to hear back from the landlord, but he said I could expect an answer by the middle of the week."

There was a smile on Lexa's face as she studied the girl. "Look at you Virginia, all grown up."

"Shut up." Clarke pretended to throw a waist apron at her before she rounded the bar. "Ready, boss?" She did nothing to stop the snickering when she caught a glimpse of Lexa's annoyed expression and her ardent headshake.

For the first time since Clarke had joined the team at Tassels, there were hardly any customers there to enjoy the show. It was almost surreal and the difference between busy and slow was so obvious it hurt the blonde to look around.

She pretended to clean a table for the fourth time before she walked back to the bar where a few regulars conversed with Lexa.

The girl waited for the bartender to finish serving the people before she called her over with a slight tilt of her head to the edge of the counter. Lexa looked at her cautiously before she raised her eyebrows in question.

"What's up, Clarke?"

Clarke gestured discreetly to the room with her hands. "I've never seen it this slow. What's up?"

Lexa shrugged. "Every now and then we get a slow day." She dismissed the girl's worry.

"Yeah, but this slow?" The blonde knitted her brows and pointed at all of the empty tables.

The brunette shrugged once more before she began to wipe down the counter. "It's been slower." She shifted her eyes from Clarke back to her customers, signaling the end of the conversation.

To say she was curious about the exchange was an understatement. Clarke had caught on to Lexa's shift in mood when she looked out at the empty room, but the girl had successfully evaded any further prodding. It was something that bothered the blonde the entire night, even as she smiled up at the girls on stage. Raven and the girl who she had learned was named Octavia were closing the show; it saddened her that more people were not there to enjoy it.


Clarke readied herself to meet with a counselor at a school where she could possibly explore perfecting her skills as an artist. She was excited to finally find somewhere she could study what she loved and enjoyed, and it showed on her face the entire trip in the rideshare.

Clarke inspected the surrounding buildings with curious eyes and nodded with satisfaction at the humble appearance of the entire block. The school was outside of downtown, in the smaller streets close to the famous Sixth Street Bridge she read about in her visitor's brochure. It was away from the chaos of the city center, but close to the hotel and her soon-to-be apartment.

She sat patiently in the lobby when an older lady approached her with a wide smile. "You must be Clarke Griffin." The lady extended her hand as soon as the blonde stood to acknowledge her. "My name is Frankie DeMarco, welcome to our academy." The two smiled as they shook hands.

Frankie walked Clarke to her office where they discussed what area the blonde was most interested in. And after she handed the woman a small portfolio of work, she nodded, impressed by the work. "As you can tell, I need some fine-tuning, and I really hope this is where I can learn to do that."

The woman nodded as she regarded each painting and drawing with professional eyes. "You are quite good, Ms. Griffin. I find it hard to believe that you have never had schooling for this."

Clarke shrugged in her seat and elaborated on her experience. "High school art class was as much as I had the pleasure of studying. Life got in the way before I could truly delve into the possibility of more."

Frankie placed the portfolio on her desk and looked at Clarke carefully. She nodded with a sympathetic smile. "And now you can, and with a little help you will be able to tap into the hardships to give more life to your work. Not that it is lacking." She quickly added and the blonde nodded gratefully. "You have talent, and I believe this school is one where you will fit right in." The woman stood to shake Clarke's hand. "Welcome to The Ark. I believe a tour of the place would be nice before we discuss registration."

Clarke arrived to the hotel some time later eager about the upcoming changes. She was about to embark on a new path in life, and she was anxious to feel like she had a purpose again. The Ark had proven to be the place she needed to expand her knowledge of her passion, and she was excited to start as soon as the new session of classes began.

With some luck, everything would work out, and she would soon have both a new school and a new home.

The blonde smiled as she changed out of her day clothes and into her work clothes before she left to grab a bite to eat.

Life was looking pretty good to her as she walked the streets of the city.

TBC…

If you guys happened to watch Grace and Frankie, I picture Frankie from The Ark to look something like Frankie (Lily Tomlin). She's such an awesome actress I decided to use her as the inspiration for my character. Alrighty guys. I will continue to post every Thursday. Hopefully it will help with the withdrawals, if you still watch the show, during this long hiatus. Also, Love Live Lexa.