You never really processed it until now but...Nicole almost looks like her.

The memory fades.
All you're left with is a shuddering husk of a woman desperately clinging to you. Worried that if she loosens her grip for even a moment, you'll disappear.

Your single good eye stares at her only visible eye.
The both of you decide that, for now, it's fine to not see anything. To just enjoy the touch of another.
That's where you stay for the next few minutes. Occasionally, the silence is broken by the tell-tale beep and fizzle of people being teleported in.

You weren't the only one who hugged her. Many of her allies would pass by to offer her a hug of their own. Sometimes, it would be genuine. The brute with blood powers, the foolish bird and the oil-soaked Krakatoa, and the two bugs made sure to show their love to her.

Sometimes, it would be out of pity. The chef and the one with the armblade, the business woman from I-Corp, and the red haired punk took a while to decide if it was okay to do it.
A few didn't bother. The ETF Agent, the W-Corp Rep, her boss and the former painter turned Stille Dag asset were too uncomfortable and/or were insulted by the idea of having to hug her.

But, slowly, everyone who wasn't outright uncomfortable with the idea moved in to offer her the only thing that could at this point. A hug. A tender touch. You think you even saw that one android kiss her while Nicole wasn't looking.

You open up your eye to see that you're no longer in a miasma filled abyss. The arena you're in is now visible. The walls and floor have been torn to shreds by Nicole's outburst - It'll take weeks for repairs to fully the damage she did to it. Holes the size of small boulders have been punched into the floor, walls and podiums. Pink energy crackles from the edges of the holes, burning away at them like fire eating through paper.

Where there was once a monster, there's simply Nicole. Her antlers, her fur-coated body and her cloven feet are still there but it's all been compressed back into her humanoid form.

She's never going to be fully human again but...was she ever?
She's clinging into you for dear life. Afraid to let go. That this is all just one long, cruel joke her mind was playing on her.

"You asked me if you were a good friend, yeah?"
Another choked whimper is all you get as a response.
"You are a fool. You're our fool, though."
Another whimper comes out of her but this time, it sounds happier? Or, at least, you think she was trying to thank you there.

You slowly unwrap your arms from her. She nearly collapses to the ground but Casey, Lex and Clover move to catch her.
The whole entourage escorts her out of the arena. You're the only one who stays behind. There's something you have to check up on here. See, you were ignoring the three stragglers in the arena. Watching the tender, emotional display.

The torn, barely alive K-Corp CEO lays limply on the floor. What's left of its body is nearly unrecognizable.