As for Syril , neither he nor Dedra quite knew what a healthy relationship looked like (though Syril could at least grasp at the meaning of love – His is an essay for another time). To Dedra, their relationship was like hers and Heert’s: Comradery from a shared purpose, but with the added bonus of occasional passion. She loved him in the only way she knew how, but as an individual, he couldn’t provide Dedra with what she needed. Vengeance for her loss of Syril, surely felt good, but not as good as the redemption she sought from vindication