She looked like a dead bird.

That was all he could think as he watched her sleep. She looked like a dead bird. Not one in the full decomposition process, but one recently dead of natural causes. She lay on her back, the thin wings that were her arms splayed out and tangled in the sheets. He short, soft hair was like down falling across her forehead. Her talon-toes clenched and unclenched in her sleep, caught as they were in a dream of flying. Only they would never be airborne again, because she was a dead bird.

This disturbed him, so gently he reached over and pushed her shoulder with his hand. She opened her eyes, stretched, and smiled, no longer a dead bird but a living woman sprawled on his bed.

"Mornin'." She rolled over, immediately grabbing her bra and pulling it on, "What time is it?"

"Almost eleven."

"Jesus, sorry I overslept. I'll get out of your hair in just a minute."

She jumped off the bad and began gathering her clothes. He could only gawk at her. She was flighty, flitting around his room and talking to him as she dressed.

"Crap, have you seen my other sandal? Oh wait there it is. Don't bother about me, have you even eaten breakfast? Obviously not, you should put your clothes on. Then again, it's a little late for breakfast, isn't it? Then get... What's it called? Brunch. Go get yourself some brunch. Okay, well thanks I'm outta here."

"Wait!" he finally managed to say. She hovered in place, still smiling.

"Yeah?"

"I... I don't..."

"Know my name? Don't worry about it, sweetheart. I know how drunk you were last night. I don't much care. Didn't then either."

She was moving to the door again, looking fresh - as if she hadn't spent the night in an intoxicated strangers bed. She in no way resembled a bird anymore, dead or alive.

"Please wait," he said, hardly knowing what he was doing.

She did, hand poised above the doorknob, "Something else?"

"Do you... I mean you can't just... Do you want to go out for coffee or something?"

She stared at him, her turn to gawk now. After what seemed ages to him, she finally smiled and said, "Sure."