She counts. Ten seconds. Twenty. The girl's not even twitching (§ 12.1-17-03). Vera slides her hand around to grip the back of Cara's neck more firmly and lifts, pulling her face clear of the water. "Breathe." She waits for the inevitable gasping inhale before continuing. "Good. You follow orders perfectly when your brain's this fried. That's fun." She shifts her grip, fingers threading through wet hair. "Say my name."

"V-Vera Hale." (she coughs)

Um.

Well. It could be awkward if she actually was having a. Unknown medical emergency. "Do you have a family history of... sleepwalking or something." She's not a premed?? How did she get into this situation.

"Not to my knowledge."

"Right. Well." She lets go of Cara's neck and leans back against the filter. She feels a twinge of obligation for the thing in front of her as the tingling sensation fades, leaving her feeling oddly bereft. A soft of conditioning for her. "You're manifesting. Congratulations, you're going to be an esper." She stands, water dripping from her legs onto the pool deck. "The good news is, I can fix this. The bad news is, you're going to be stuck with me for the next four days minimum." She pauses, and tilts her head. "Could be good news. It takes all kinds. You can say thank you, now."

"Thank you." Her voice sounds raspy.

"Your voice sounds terrible. Drink some water."

Cara obligingly drinks a mouthful of pool water.

There's a bark of laughter. "Jesus. Not that water." She hauls herself out of the pool in one smooth motion, water streaming off her skin. "Get out. We're going to the locker room where there's a drinking fountain. And towels."

She's slow-moving, getting out of the pool, but she does make it on her own, after a bit. 

Follow follow.

Push.

- She slips on the pool floor, pitching forward - 

She idly wonders if the girl is as blue on the inside as she is on the outside.

Cara does fall somewhat more gracefully than a crash test dummy - she folds her body inward, knees hitting the ground first, then palms.

Knees bleeding, she turns to look back up at Vera.

Guess not. She crouches and reaches down running her finger along the skinned knee, bringing it to her lips.

Blank stare.

The blood tastes like copper and chlorine and something else—that alluring tang that comes with compatibility. She stands, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. "Up. We're getting you cleaned up." She grabs Cara under the arms and hauls her to her feet, noting how the girl's weight shifts automatically to compensate. Still some reflexes in there, at least. "Your eyes are changing color, by the way. Turning this pretty aqua. Shame you can't appreciate it."

Cara is very cooperative with being pulled up! She leans on Vera once upright. 

The weight against her shoulder sends another jolt of that electric compatibility through her system. She shifts her grip, one arm around Cara's waist now, and starts walking them toward the locker room. "You know what's interesting? You're still in there somewhere. Still processing, still following instructions." She pushes through the door with her hip. "Makes me wonder what else you'd do if I told you to."

The drinking fountain is right there by the entrance. She maneuvers them over to it, pressing the button with her free hand. "Drink. Real water this time."

It's a good question, isn't it? 

Cara drinks water from the fountain, gulp gulp gulp swallow breathe, gulp gulp gulp swallow breathe, gulp gulp gulp swallow breathe, gulp gulp gulp swallow breathe...... 

"Stop." She pulls Cara back from the fountain by the shoulder. "Christ, you'd drown yourself on dry land if I told you to breathe underwater." She grabs a handful of paper towels from the dispenser and starts roughly patting the water off Cara's face and chest. "We need to get you somewhere I can actually work on this. My apartment's not far." She tosses the wet paper towels in the trash and starts steering Cara toward her locker again. She's already running through possibilities in her head. How much can she push her?

On second thought: "How long can you hold your breath for?"

Follow follow. "I don't know." 

"Of course you don't." She pulls Cara back to her feet, keeping one hand on her arm. "Let's find out. Back to the pool." She starts walking them back out to the pool deck, her grip firm. "You're going to do exactly what I tell you, when I tell you. No more, no less. Understand?" The contact is making her skin hum, that pleasant electric sensation growing stronger. She wonders if Cara can feel it at all through the fog of her backlash, or if she's too far gone to register anything but direct commands.