When she's called to the counselor's office.

The start of the day passes as it usually does. {if Sluttery > 80}As she has several times this week, Nat finds a seat at the back of the bus - it's just more fun back there. {if Virgin is false}{if Slut_Clothes is true}Before long, some guy has pulled her onto his lap, hiked her dress up around her waist, and pulled her thong to one side to penetrate her sopping cunt, making Nat moan each time the bus hits a small bump and drives him deeper into her. She cums twice before crawling off to take his load in her mouth as he reaches his climax.{endif}{else}Soon some guy has her bent over in the seat, slurping on his cock and gagging each time the bus hits a bump in the road. Or each time he decides to push her head down, just for fun.{endif} She swallows like a good girl, thanks him, and joins Claire and an irate-looking Anna as they all depart the bus.{else}She rides with Anna and Claire, chatting about their week and schoolwork. Anna's is mostly the same as Nat's, of course, but Claire's Home Ec class is very different. Their Care and Tending of Blackbands unit has gotten to grooming, so yesterday Poundwell had the girls partner up to practice shaving and waxing a girl in restraints.{endif}

{if Slut_Clothes=true}Though her dress gets her several wolf-whistles {if Popularity > 50}and some calls of "Looking good, Pierce!" and "Nice tits, Natalie!"{else}and pinches and slaps on the ass (which make her gasp in {if Sluttery < 80}mingled indignation and {endif}arousal{if Sluttery<80}){endif}, {endif}{endif}Natalie makes it to her seat in English class. They're discussing Chapter 8 of Penetration and Prejudice today{if Intellect > 70}, and Nat's eager to express her ideas.{else}.{endif}

"So," Mrs. Twickham asks in her tired British accent, sitting at the head of the circle of desks, "what did everyone think of the next three chapters of Penetration and Prejudice?" {if Intellect > 70}Nat raises her hand. "Yes, Natalie?"{else}A girl with a long face, square jaw, and pale blonde hair raises her hand. "Yes, Amanda?"{endif}

"I really liked the scene right at the end of Chapter 8," {if Intellect > 70}Nat{else}Amanda{endif} says. "The exchange between Darcy and Elizabeth where he says he doesn't know very many accomplished women."

"That's a wonderful place to start. Yes, it's quite the scene - an important moment in the relationship between Darcy and Elizabeth. And a bit of a commentary as well. What did you enjoy about it? What stood out to you?"

"It's the way that Elizabeth talks back to him," {if Intellect > 70}Nat{else}Amanda{endif} says. "He says that women have to know and do all these things to be accomplished - have to be really knowledgeable and also, like,{if Sluttery < 40}" (here she blushes) "{else} {endif}really good {if Sluttery > 30}fucks{else}at sex{endif}. Elizabeth says that she's surprised that he knows any woman who meets all those criteria, and when Mrs. Hurst and Miss Bingley object, she explains that it's because someone who does all those things wouldn't be a woman but a ****. It's a really neat way to make an argument for more of an equal relationship between a man and a woman."

"Right you are, Miss {if Intellect > 70}Pierce{else}Benvenutti{endif}," Mrs. Twickham says with a smile. "It is indeed a really - for the time - progressive argument!" {if Intellect < 71}Natalie wishes she had thought of that - Mrs. Twickham is nice. She read that passage last night{if Sluttery > 75} (between bouts of masturbation){endif}, but it didn't really sink in.{endif}

"It's really undercut by the situation, though," Anna says. Mrs. Twickham nods.

"And why is that?" she prompts.

"Because they're in the sitting room after dinner," Anna explains. "It's the Relaxation."

"Yeah, they used that word," a boy, Kyle, says with a frown. "What the heck is that? I didn't get it..."

"Are you familiar with the term, Anna?" Mrs. Twickham asks.

Anna rolls her eyes. "Yeah, it's a whole Regency social ritual thing. They're getting blowjobs, basically."

There are titters (and one or two scandalized gasps) from the class, and Mrs. Twickham gestures them to silence. "Now, now, ladies and gentlemen. But yes, that's the essence of it. The Relaxation is one of the reasons that polite society put so much emphasis on a gender balance at social events, in Regency England. It was considered an important after-dinner ritual to aid digestion - for both sexes. Men would sit and discuss the day's events or political news, while ladies would perform fellatio on them."

"Wait, even ones who weren't married to them? I thought marriage was the whole, like, thing of the book," a girl named Destiny complains.

"It is, indeed. But you have to understand that in Regency England, oral...congress...wasn't really considered much of a taboo. Marriage was largely about other sexual acts and especially reproduction. Indeed, as Mr. Darcy alludes to, skill at fellatio was considered an important quality in a wife. So yes, even the unmarried women of age would have performed. Of course this didn't extend to **** or anything like that - which is why there's a careful balance of three women and three men in this scene. Mrs. Hurst would have been attached to Mr. Hurst, while Miss Bingley - because Mr. Bingley is her brother - would have been attending Mr. Darcy, while Elizabeth attends Mr. Bingley. A reader at the time would have inferred all this just from the people in the room."

"So she's arguing about women with Darcy while sucking Bingley's cock?" Kyle asks. "Kinda weird."

"It is! It's one of the things that marks Elizabeth out as something of an independent, rebellious woman. And when it says, 'Mr. Hurst called them to order, with bitter complaints of their inattention to what was going forward,' it's referring clearly to the Relaxation. Elizabeth talking across the room is distracting the other women and detracting from their performance!"

"That kinda feels more rebellious and radical than I'd realized," {if Intellect > 70}Natalie{else}Amanda{endif} says.

"She's still making this quasi-feminist speech while sucking off Bingley. Who's kind of an idiot, too," Anna says with a sneer.

Just then, before they can get into the debate, Mrs. Twickham's desk phone chimes. She sighs and picks it up. "Hello? ...Ah, of course." She hangs up and nods to Natalie. "Natalie, they need you in the counseling office. Orientation session."

"Oh, ok." This has been happening all week, and Nat's been wondering when it would be her turn. Every student has an initial meeting with the Bridge program's guidance counselor, apparently to discuss their coursework and trajectory for the year. She stands and gathers her bag, {if Intellect > 90}deeply disappointed to miss the rest of class{elseif Intellect > 70}a bit disappointed to miss the rest of class{else}secretly a bit relieved that she'll be missing at least some of the rest of class{endif}. As she puts the girls' hall pass around her neck (a large red placard with black lettering reading, "ON SCHOOL BUSINESS - NOT FOR FUCKING"), the discussion continues.

"I still don't really get how this conversation is going on," Kyle complains. "Can we, like, map it out or something?"

"Oh, why not?" Twickham says with a sigh. "Easiest to do it as a read-aloud. That'll give you all a sense of the social dynamics. Kyle, let's have you be Mr. Hurst; Will, Mr. Darcy; James, Mr. Bingley. Then, who are my greenbands, let's see: Amanda can take Elizabeth, Marissa can take Miss Bingley, and Destiny can be Mrs. Hurst. Let's have you all in the center of the room with your books and read through the dialogue for us."

Natalie misses the mapping of the scene, as she only sees the boys stand and begin to unfasten their pants while the three girls named sigh and tie their hair back in preparation before she's out the door and on her way.