The door creaked slightly as it opened.  Tristan felt a slight chill enter through the entryway, slightly disturbing the warmth provided to him by the crimson walls, eggshell frames, smokey panes, and the popping, crackling, yellow, white, and red blaze in the fireplace.

The door closed with a dull thud, and the latch engaged, with a metallic clink.  The chill brushed along the back of his neck, then was promptly consumed by the erratically undulating flames.  Tristan sat up from his lounging position on the couch, straightened his back, and placed his hands firmly on his knees.  He breathed in deeply, and absorbed the sweet melange of rare spices, floral notes, and distinct bouquet that had followed the chill.

She had closed the door, then stopped, and stood motionless behind where he was sitting.  Though faintly, he could hear her breathing, and it was heavier than usual.  After several intensely long seconds passed, Tristan pressed down upon his knees, engaged the muscles in his powerful legs, and separated himself from the couch.

He turned completely around, and saw her standing not far from the door.  Her head was slightly tilted down, her raven hair spilling over her partially obscured face.  She raised her eyes, and peaked into his through an obsidian waterfall, blinking meekly.  His eyes dipped to her neck, and he found the leather strap.

Tristan side-stepped to the left, around the couch, and took several steps to quickly close the gap between them.  He could almost feel her heartbeat quicken in her chest, as he put his left arm around her shoulders, and brought her close to him.  His right hand moved to her neck, and his fingers found the leather strap.  He traced the strap downwards until he found the shape for which he was searching.  He palmed the ancient key, then pulled down slightly, feeling the resistance at the top of the leather strand as her neck moved slightly with the motion.   Her normally, regular breaths, stopped for one, long, cycle, then resumed.

Tristan simultaneously released the key from his right hand, and her body from his left arm.  He took a step back.  She raised her head, and with a swift motion, brushed the midnight hair from her face.

“That didn’t take long at all.”

“No. And I’m glad that it didn’t.  I had thoughts about the places where I may have laid it down.  But as it turned out, it was in one of the first places that I checked.  You don’t usually leave your boots there….”

“I don’t consider the placement of my boots an extreme priority at this point.  Tell me, where did you think you misplaced it?

“At first, I thought it may have been somewhere in the market.  I was thinking that it may have slipped off my head, when I bent to inspect some fruits, or vegetables.  I considered that it may have slipped off in the kitchen when cooking, or somewhere upstairs when we slept.  I thought about my shop, and considered the possibility that it loosed itself while I was working.  I considered checking with the shop owners located near my own, to see if during our daily comings and goings, I may have inadvertently misplaced it in one of their businesses.  There were a few other, semi-far-fetched considerations as well.”

“And?”

“Pardon?”

“You had all of those ideas about where you misplaced it, which was the first that you decided to check?”

“I went to my shop first.  It’s where I spent most of my time, so it seemed the most likely place to find it.”

“Not upstairs, or in the house?  That would make the most sense to me.”

“I suppose, I simply had a feeling that it would be there.”

“Is that why you left so quickly after our last discussion, and how you’ve come to return so soon?”

“I was just following a gut feeling.”

“To go to your shop?”

“Yes.”

“It seems implausible that the first location that you checked, was where you found it.”

“It worked out that way.  I’m glad I could quickly retrieve it.”

“As am I.  It’s just puzzling, given all the options, you chose to look there first.  It’s then even more curious that it was discovered there.”

“Why do you continue to berate with these questions?  I would have thought you pleased that I found it so quickly, yet you continue this onslaught of inquiry.”

“I am certainly pleased that the recovery was achieved with incredible swiftness.  What does not please me is your explanation.”

“My explanation? What part of it is unpleasing?”

“All of it.”

“I don’t understand.  I explained my thought process, chose a place to start looking, and luckily, I found what I lost.”

“None of it makes any sense.  Realistically, you should have started searching in our home first.”

“Perhaps, but I was following my instincts.  They told me to go to the shop.  I decided to trust what I was feeling.  I know that it sounds a little strange, now that I’m discussing it.  But, I went with the impulse.  Again, I’m glad that I did, because by doing so, I found it more quickly.”

“So, you had an inclination to go to the shop, even though it didn’t seem quite right, and you followed it.  Then improbably, there it was, present as day.”

“That’s pretty close.”

“No, it’s not.”

“What’s not? I’m not sure what you mean?”

“That isn’t what happened.”

“Yes, it is! I’m telling you, I departed from here, went directly to my shop to check, found the pendant, and returned straightaway.”

“That cannot be how it occurred.”

“Whyever can it not?

“Because I followed you.”