The following pages, scanned from Mechanics by E. A. Fox (1967, Harper & Row) pp. 274-276, describes the solution to the collision of two free floating bodies in general motion.
The following pages, scanned from Dynamics of Mechanical and Electromechanical Systems by S. H. Crandall, et. al. (1968, McGraw-Hill) pp. 236-237, discuss the precession of the angular velocity vector of a free-floating body in general motion.
In summary: The angular momentum depends on the inertia moments (aka inertia matrix, or tensor) which are fixed in the body coordinate system. However, the angular momentum is conserved (the vector is constant) in the world coordinate system. Therefore, if the angular velocity vector is not collinear with the angular momentum vector, then the velocity vector must precess in order to keep the angular momentum constant. The path of the precession may be shaped like "O" or like "8".
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