Steaming Cup of Joe

Her laugh was bubbly and nervous. "I'm not good with boys," she said in a near whisper. "Sometimes, back in San Fransisco, I used to turn into a raven and just fly around. I loved perching on the bridge. I was never afraid of heights, so I was never nervous. But, I used to hang around the park and just watch couples and families travel through. It was all so magical. Does that sound silly?"

"Did you want more coffee?" she asked once she noticed his cup was nearly empty.

"Oh, it's no bother! I planned on getting more for myself." She reached across the table and took his mug to get them both some more coffee.

When she returned, she had the cups on a tray with milk and multiple sugar packets. She set it between them and tore three of the packages at once to dump them into her coffee.

"My dad taught me this. He likes a lot of sugar in his coffee, but he gets embarrassed if people realize how much he puts in it, so he does it like this."

Seamlessly, Maddie switches back to the discussion of flying as though they had never gotten off of it in the first place.

"Flying is great. It's very freeing, and there is something about the wind ruffling your feathers — or hair — that can make a person come alive. I don't fly as much as I run, though. That's also great. better if you have someone to run with. I used to take Bandit on walks while I was a coyote, but I had to go to parks to do it and hope no one saw me. It would have been a strange sight, a coyote and a dog, connected by a leash and running."

Madie's smile only grew. "I'm...not that great at changing shape. I know about three and can coax them out, but even then I need this thing." She pointed downward to her golden anklet and lifted her foot to show him.

"Otherwise, yeah, I'd probably go for a dog or something."

That seemed a little much to Maddie, who couldn't stand prolonged eye contact. She blushed and looked at the floating gems. Without thinking about it, she reached forward to try and touch one.

"Those are beautiful," she said to distract from their current conversation.

Like a cat to a light, Maddie snatched at the crystals. A playful look etched on her face, her tongue even stuck out the side of her mouth in deep concentration.

"They are stunning!"