Karma's a Bitch

It takes Karma a moment, with those thumbs brushing across her cheeks in such a soothing manner, it was hard to find the strength to put the woman down and end this moment of being held. Truly, it made her heart race, it made Karma crave more of it and maybe it was the dominance of the Oni blood coursing through her, but there was a side of her that didn’t want her arms to leave her friends form. God, were Oni’s clingy like this? No. That’s not the truth… Eventually she sets the woman down, very slowly, a million things are running through the brawlers head it’s almost difficult to hold onto one thing.

When she finally speaks, her eyes break contact with Yumi’s own “No. I just… know that Oni’s aren’t well liked. I wouldn’t want you to think I feel like I’m better than you or anything cause I can go back to being human when I want to.” She takes a deep breath, it’s hard to verbalize her worries, but she tries again but a little different.

“I’m… scared. Scared that I’ll be rejected by both sides. I’m not fully Oni and now I’m not fully human.” Maybe it’s a bit dramatic but she doesn’t know this world and how it operates. Curiosity drives her movements, as much as she wants to discover she also wants to be discovered and soon her hands move to Yumi’s own where they lay on her cheeks and slowly move them upwards, all the way till they touch the base of her horns. What was traditional intimacy like for their kind? Humans kiss to show their love, what if this was some sort of taboo movement between two Oni, Karma really didn’t know but she wanted to find out everything however… since she’s stuck between both species, there’s one more question that comes to her mind which causes her shoulders to lower and the pricks of tears to hit the corner of her eyes.

When she lays it all bare, her feelings about her newfound form and existence, how she doesn't know what side she's truly on, Yumi's gaze somehow manages to grow even more soft. When her hands are lifted to the other's horns, she does not resist, her touch is just as tender as before. It was true that most Oni don't let just anyone touch their horns, but Yumi was never one to fuss over such things. She loved being able to show affection in whatever way her friends liked, she would never feel wrong for being allowed such an honor.

She gently caressed the horns, she'd never felt any aside from her own family's, and even then not for a very long time. But they didn't feel any different than she remembered.

"Mm...no, totally not. You're a cute woman named Karma!" As long as she spoke the truth, she wouldn't say the wrong thing, "Whenever I got older, when my horns wouldn't to grow and my tail stayed stumpy, I remember running to my parents, crying about how I didn't feel like a real Oni at all. My mama's a human, and I took after her a lot, but all of my little siblings have stronger traits than I do. I felt like a failure, and we weren't really treated the best. My siblings, thankfully, get treated a bit better because they fit in more..." she fell silent for a moment, "...but that's not my fault. Right? It's no one's fault. I can't help not looking much like an Oni like you can't help turning into one!"

Her brows began to furrow as she recalled such specific memories, looks from adults as she walked with her mother, her siblings receiving such kind words while Yumi received "she looks so...healthy". But Yumi refused to let cruel people, Human or Oni, determine how she'd feel about herself and how she treated other people.

It was an exceedingly strange feeling to have grown horns so rapidly and even stranger to have someone touch them. Karma trusted Yumi, she trusted that she would be respectful, kind and caring. What those hands did when they made it to her horns had Karma needing to steady herself. Her breath got just a little shorter, her hands lay flat against Yumi’s hips which is where the Oni keeps herself steady only gripping a little when hearing what her friend had to go through.

Slowly Karma’s eyelids lower, she keeps her eyes on Yumi’s as best she could before closing her eyes completely and just… Feeling. How her hands explored the base of her horns, up to the tips then back down. It was comforting in a way, maybe even intimate, was that the feeling? She couldn’t tell as when Yumi described how she felt like a failure for lack of resemblance to her race, how she wasn’t treated well, it made Karma’s blood boil but she was right, it can’t be helped, all they can do is accept who they are and love it for themselves.

A cute woman named Karma. Is that who she was? Really? Maybe. Right now, she didn’t feel cute, she felt pain. Her head hurt, legs and arms were sore. One thing she neglected to speak on was how she felt the after effects of her body violently changing into an Oni. How her bones stretched, horns popping out of her skull… It would be something she would need to get used to but when that hug came from her friend? What she promised to do to help her? God she could have crumbled then and there.

The hands at the woman’s hips encircle her, hugging her back with such a strong hold just like Yumi did to her. Both now able to use their full strength which Karma is sure Yumi is thankful for. She holds the woman in place, selfishly taking her time with her, inhaling her scent, etching the way a Oni’s body feels into her memory. “Yes… Please. Teach me what it’s like to be an Oni. I… Can’t do it alone.” Some tears are shed, causing Karma to cling to the woman with a desperate need, lost in all directions only feeling a bit normal when being told she isn’t a monster.

Yumi’s palms were warm, not too hot to bring discomfort and nor did they have any hint of moisture on them. It was a simple, welcoming warmth which Karma assumed was slowly becoming a needed anchor she’d soon miss eventually due to her Oni blood. Without Yumi, she was certain the complications of feeling like an uncontrollable beast would have been suffocating but… Yumi was a Oni too, she was no beast and she was one of the most kind hearted people she’s ever known.

Yet, Karma couldn’t help but to feel there was more behind it all. The complexity of it, maybe she was over thinking it, but weren’t Oni treated wrong here at times? Karma got the opportunity to be an actual human and only reap the benefits of being an Oni while Yumi was only here because she was Human passing…

"Hmm? Why would I be upset about something like that? You're not the one treating me different." It was obvious, wasn't it? When Yumi told Karma about herself, what she was, Karma's reaction had totally thrown her off. She'd been warned about people finding out, that it could turn people into dangers, but instead it brought her closer to a friend.

With the same tenderness, she rubbed her thumbs across Karma's cheeks, "Like I said, it's just who you are. Should I be upset that a bird can fly and I can't?" Or maybe she wasn't really understanding what Karma was asking? It was such an obvious conclusion for Yumi, after all. So she decided to ask a different question.

It takes Karma a moment, with those thumbs brushing across her cheeks in such a soothing manner, it was hard to find the strength to put the woman down and end this moment of being held. Truly, it made her heart race, it made Karma crave more of it and maybe it was the dominance of the Oni blood coursing through her, but there was a side of her that didn’t want her arms to leave her friends form. God, were Oni’s clingy like this? No. That’s not the truth… Eventually she sets the woman down, very slowly, a million things are running through the brawlers head it’s almost difficult to hold onto one thing.

When she finally speaks, her eyes break contact with Yumi’s own “No. I just… know that Oni’s aren’t well liked. I wouldn’t want you to think I feel like I’m better than you or anything cause I can go back to being human when I want to.” She takes a deep breath, it’s hard to verbalize her worries, but she tries again but a little different.

“I’m… scared. Scared that I’ll be rejected by both sides. I’m not fully Oni and now I’m not fully human.” Maybe it’s a bit dramatic but she doesn’t know this world and how it operates. Curiosity drives her movements, as much as she wants to discover she also wants to be discovered and soon her hands move to Yumi’s own where they lay on her cheeks and slowly move them upwards, all the way till they touch the base of her horns. What was traditional intimacy like for their kind? Humans kiss to show their love, what if this was some sort of taboo movement between two Oni, Karma really didn’t know but she wanted to find out everything however… since she’s stuck between both species, there’s one more question that comes to her mind which causes her shoulders to lower and the pricks of tears to hit the corner of her eyes.

If it wasn’t for Yumi being an Oni too, Karma would be practically alone in this situation she’s found herself in. It felt strange to act like a Oni even though she’s been a human all her life. Sure she had to control her rage now just like other Oni but Karma in her base form was still just a human and… was that fair?

She doesn’t react much to what Yumi says, her head tilts curiously, brows furrow slightly. The grip that keeps Yumi suspended is light and easily able to wiggle out of if she wanted. But there’s a deep question of her own in the back of her mind that needs to come out. Because the fact is, regardless of their shared race, Karma felt like an actor, faking something she shouldn’t regardless if this is just who she is now…

She stayed suspended in Karma's hold as she was finally asked a question of her own. Not one she had expected, but one she could tell was very important for the other to ask. Her light laughter fell quiet, and her smile slowly dipped, she owed Karma a serious answer.

The question itself was simple enough to answer, but the reason for it even being asked was where the problem came from. Being an Oni was all Yumi had ever known, she was used to the ins and outs of such an existence. But what was plain knowledge for her, must have been something entirely unexpected and maybe even uncomfortable for anyone else.

So she answered as sincerely as she could, her hands gently cupping Karma's face to keep their eyes locked.

Yumi’s palms were warm, not too hot to bring discomfort and nor did they have any hint of moisture on them. It was a simple, welcoming warmth which Karma assumed was slowly becoming a needed anchor she’d soon miss eventually due to her Oni blood. Without Yumi, she was certain the complications of feeling like an uncontrollable beast would have been suffocating but… Yumi was a Oni too, she was no beast and she was one of the most kind hearted people she’s ever known.

Yet, Karma couldn’t help but to feel there was more behind it all. The complexity of it, maybe she was over thinking it, but weren’t Oni treated wrong here at times? Karma got the opportunity to be an actual human and only reap the benefits of being an Oni while Yumi was only here because she was Human passing…

“Oh good. You’re finally awake. How do you feel? Mei’s visiting HIA headquarters and your PubSec friend came by earlier-“

“H-Huh?!? WHAT?? What the fuck????” She’s looking under the sheets she’s in.

Not because she was scared of anything, simply because she wasn’t used to the overwhelming amounts of scents invading her nose and the closer Yumi got the stronger. But she had to practice and with a deep breath she focuses as much as she could on what Yumi was saying.

Earrings? Holding her back? Karma finally steps forward, her hand comes up and gently touches the jewelry with an index finger and thumb curiously. “This… isn’t like losing control, it’s basically me shedding my human form to be something else. There’s a step above this…” She pauses, barely able to remember what it was like when she had lost control the first time. The mess left behind, all the property damage and danger to their neighbors around them. She still felt… awful about it.

"Hmm, a step above...I don't know what I looked like when I raged, I was still pretty young so I might look totally different if it happened now." what an odd thing to bond over. Still, Yumi couldn't help but wonder about the similarities and differences between them.

And when her question was answered by being effortlessly scooped up into the air, Yumi let out a gasp, her hands resting against Karma's shoulders to keep herself steady. "Whoa! Pfahaha! Another totally awesome thing about you! That's crazy! I don't meet a whole lot of people who can just pick me up like that! Specially not since coming to New Eridu."

What an odd feeling, she hoped she wasn't being too difficult asking Karma these things at the moment. She'd just been so curious, she hadn't met any other Oni save the ones she grew up around. And sure, Karma's circumstances were different, but that didn't mean they didn't have similarities. It was just odd to Yumi that Karma was in control after changing...but if there was a step even after this transformation, was that when they'd be the most alike? At their worst?

Yumi wouldn't want Karma to see her like that, and she could probably bet that Karma wouldn't want her to see either.

If it wasn’t for Yumi being an Oni too, Karma would be practically alone in this situation she’s found herself in. It felt strange to act like a Oni even though she’s been a human all her life. Sure she had to control her rage now just like other Oni but Karma in her base form was still just a human and… was that fair?

She doesn’t react much to what Yumi says, her head tilts curiously, brows furrow slightly. The grip that keeps Yumi suspended is light and easily able to wiggle out of if she wanted. But there’s a deep question of her own in the back of her mind that needs to come out. Because the fact is, regardless of their shared race, Karma felt like an actor, faking something she shouldn’t regardless if this is just who she is now…

She can tell Yumi’s staring at her horns and for some reason that both embarrasses and excites the Oni. Like how a peacock would take pride in their bright feathers. This was… certainly a foreign feeling she wasn’t used to.

"You're amazing, Karma! I wish I had as much restraint as you! If I let myself go I'd end up arrested or worse!" said with a smile and cadence that totally offset the subject matter, Yumi took a few steps closer to the other Oni. "I could be so much stronger if I could tap into my feral rage, but I'd be totally out of control. S'why I wear these earrings." Her finger traced along the silver clip on the tip of her ear. "Somethin about the way they're made or what they're made of helps keep the rush under control, like a really strong dam."

Even Karma's ears were different, how strange they were essentially both half Oni, but Karma looked more like her parent's child than she did. Aaah, no! Bad thoughts! She shouldn't forget that it's because she looks this way that she can safely live in the city.

Not because she was scared of anything, simply because she wasn’t used to the overwhelming amounts of scents invading her nose and the closer Yumi got the stronger. But she had to practice and with a deep breath she focuses as much as she could on what Yumi was saying.

Earrings? Holding her back? Karma finally steps forward, her hand comes up and gently touches the jewelry with an index finger and thumb curiously. “This… isn’t like losing control, it’s basically me shedding my human form to be something else. There’s a step above this…” She pauses, barely able to remember what it was like when she had lost control the first time. The mess left behind, all the property damage and danger to their neighbors around them. She still felt… awful about it.