Title: Storyteller
Fandom: X-Men: First Class
Rating: PG-13
Length: ~230 words
Content notes: this is for the "self-portrait" challenge
Summary: Erik called her a tiger once, and while that could represent some parts of herself - power, beauty, stealth - the comparison isn't anywhere close.

Erik called her a tiger once, and while that could represent some parts of herself - power, beauty, stealth - the comparison isn't anywhere close.

When they were first children together, Charles likened her to a chameleon. Loathe though Raven is to admit it, that's actually much more accurate - though still wrong.

She's neither tiger nor chameleon; she's a storyteller.

*

Charles sees people as they see themselves, the heroes of their own stories. Erik sees people in relation to their use to him: primarily as weapons, either in his own hand or aimed at him.

Irene sees what people will do, and judges by their future actions regardless of intent. Emma sees people as their worst selves, and judges them by their inner monsters.

Raven, though. Raven sees it all. She sees people as they see themselves, their best and their worst and everything in-between. She sees what they want to be and what they are, to themselves and to her and to the cause. She sees what people will do, what they have done, what they're doing right now; more importantly, she sees what people think about what they're going to do, what they have done, what they're in the process of doing.

Wearing someone else's skin means so much more than just looking like them. If she's going to do it right, she has to know their story.