[ she tightens her grip on him, just slightly. she feels hyperaware of how he seems so small and fragile against her taller frame. when she answers, her voice comes low, private, as if what she says is meant for karkat and only karkat. ]

When Madison was removed from this universe, a literal piece of me-- the hardware that connected our minds-- began to malfunction. It was as if a void had suddenly opened inside my head. I suffered a processing error, and I irrationally attempted to physically rectify it.

[ a beat. then, almost reluctantly, and in a plainer way, with all the technical words stripped aside: ]

Also, I felt a great despair.