Snowforest Taiga mangosteen

No, she corrected, it could have been anyone. Any man, any woman—it was you, another slow step forward, gaze simmering, and her tail lashed behind her. He warmed her, even in the face of what others might perceive as rejection. She could see nothing in his eyes, and he might see nothing in hers but for a newfound flame in a place it had never before occupied. 

She smiled at him. She liked his aloofness, his detachment. Preferred it. I need you for now, she said, for as long as the Gods keep me here. They ask I pause here with you, Medusa sucked in a breath. But nothing is forever. Maybe not even this. But please, she pined, stepping forward, help me see this through for Them. I… I need this feeling, another step forward. And I need you, for whatever reason. You are who They called upon me to find. She could see the threads. Two twining and twisting, but unfurling too.

Just this once, she whisper-willed, voice quivering. She did not want to fail herself, more than Them!