raven was good at this game, it had been one that she had been playing for her entire life. there was a certain reputation among some members that she had held when it came to her loyalties and how quickly she could sever them if she had felt threatened. when it came down to it to her very core, she was a very selfish person that was looking out for herself. and she was a mutant, so she knew that in part when it came to looking out for herself, she had to look out for them too. especially when it came to destiny and rogue. but destiny was no where to be found and it had been a while since she had gotten in contact with rogue. there was a reason aside from another that she had found herself at the mansion. it was all so personal to her, the whole thing. she knows that people like sam wilson thrive off the greater good, wanting to help the little guy, and the mutants were that sweet spot that she could work to her angle.
she smiles, wanting to shake her head at the thought of erik showing him genosha but she doesn’t waver, just takes the compliment for him. “i’m sure he really amped it up for you, he’s very good at that.” she jokes, taking a drink of her water.
“yes, i cannot imagine being in the public eye like that. well, actually i can, i’m sure you’ve heard of some of our run ins—“ she waves her hand now, “i guess i just mean i can’t imagine since you’re kind of the face now.” she gives him an empathetic smile (that she doesn’t mean) “which, is a lot considering.” she sighs, nodding her head. “it was a weird time, i try and block it out as much as i can which, isn’t exactly healthy but it makes it easier than having to be constantly shocked that somehow everyone just magically came back.” when in truth, raven didn’t give much of a shit, she might have rolled her eyes hearing that scott summers had come back from the dead, the man that so many in the school had mourned on top of the students, she knew that her time at playing nice with the school was over once the people that they loved had come back, when they weren’t forced to deal with someone like raven. she wasn’t exactly bitter about it because she knew that it would happen but it was more of an annoyance than anything. “i suppose where superheroes can fly and aliens can just come to earth whenever they please it shouldn’t be so surprising.”
it surprises sam, how open raven is. where erik is coyly closed-off, she’s a triple pad-locked steel box; he can read that much through her polite willingness to help. but he knows the blip changed everyone, that this multiversal explosion has even further. he takes it all in stride, though, not wanting to push too hard on his end. again, knowing what the mutant population has had to struggle through - he has to meet them where they are, let their voices be heard. it’s something he’s been intimately familiar with his whole life.
“ah,” sam says, waving a hand with a smile. “you’re being humble. i’m very sure genosha always that lovely. i appreciate your empathy on this, and trust me when i say i’m always around to help. i know people, good people, who can help - especially with the traumas of the blip. folks and community support outside of the grc, i can get you that, if you want it.” he smiles, thanks the waiter when they drop off his coke. he keeps a careful eye on raven, looking for any potential tells, anything to give away that he might be fucking this whole thing up and completely offending her. “sure is an interesting time to be alive, though. you make a point, it really shouldn’t be shocking at this point, but were any of us built for this? all of this? no, but we adapt.” he pauses, takes a sip of his soda. sam knows he needs to tread carefully with this topic - making raven uncomfortable to the point of closing off completely is going to make for a very awkward lunch, and possibly a very awkward catch up with erik. “we survive. we have to because the alternative - well. i sense you don’t want that.”