Thank the abyssals for small miracles. Karkat could not have imagined how he might have retaliated if he didn't have such a tight lock on his empathy. The anger makes him hurt in return, enough for him to stop all movement and halt breath for a moment. Its an incredible sensation, one that makes his head pulse behind his eyes for a long moment. He had never felt it from a tyrian before -- Gamzee's anger had been something to behold, but this was somehow worse.

He didn't want to think about it, least he turn into a cowardly snivveling mess in front of the angry highblod.

"Feferi..." he forgets momentarily, still somewhat lost in the fog of fury he feels from the Empress. Instinctively (and perhaps against his better judgement), he closes the distance and enters the personal space bubble he had set between them. Despite that, he stands almost helplessly, looking as if he may want to try and comfort her but not being nearly confident enough to do so. After all, he had decided months ago that he was going to keep his distance from the other trolls and help them without direct interference. He didn't have to be their friends -- as long as the trolls made it out of this, that was all that mattered. Feferi, while he had perhaps been more wary of her, counted in his group of friends -- or friends he wish he had. Direct interference never ended well. He could count at least twice where it had resulted in his death.

But he couldn't stand around. No matter how much his sense of self-preservation screamed otherwise.