[i]^If she does not, I could perhaps be convinced,^[/i] Schroedinger replied, using perfect French.  He'd taken it upon himself to answer after spotting the beaked mask heading their way.  "Not many black ravens in London," he added, switching back to English as he adjusted the position of his paws on his gracious companion's shoulder, whiskers tilting forward as he tried to get a better whiff of the man's scent.  In this he had an unseemly advantage over the other guests, but the cat had no intention of sharing whatever details he might glean from a sense humans so often neglected.  Unless someone he knew well turned up -- or someone for whom he had a particular dislike -- there was no reason at all to spoil the fun.  "Interesting that you should prefer to remember the surface.  Or perhaps you, like me, are simply fond of the color.  What do you think, Miss?  He is a bold bird, to approach a pair of cats."