10
The next day Gregor woke up on the couch to the sound of people talking. He had no idea how long they had been up, and he felt bad for sleeping in. He sat up and looked around. Lizzie and Wynnora were making breakfast in the kitchen (Wynnora had been cooking like crazy now that she had a kitchen again. She said she would spoil the Underlanders with food they never had before.), Gregor's father (he was off for summer vacation) was showing Luxa how to use a laptop so they could both try to figure out what those powder balls were, and Howard was playing a game with Maggie. Gregor's mother was at work.
By the time Gregor finished with his morning routine, Lizzie was passing around pancakes and bacon. She made sure Gregor's father and Luxa actually took their breakfast since they were completely distracted with research.
"I'll bring Howard his plate," Maggie called out cheerfully. She ran to Wynnora, grabbed his plate then walked it back to the table where they had been playing cards.
"Many thanks, princess," Howard said with a smile. Maggie giggled, blushed, and then went back to the kitchen. Wynnora looked at Gregor with a smile, and mouthed "Awwww, she has a crush." She turned to Howard, "So cute." The Underlander chuckled, and shook his head. Gregor could not help laughing either. He grabbed his plate, and sat down with Luxa and his dad who each had a laptop.
"I do not think any plant from the Overland could have been used to make the powders. They could not survive in the Underland," Luxa said.
"No," his father agree. "But there may be a related plant. Or we could find a similar reaction, and use that remedy." Luxa nodded, and they got back to looking through online plant indexes. Gregor noticed Luxa was squinting slightly at the screen, so he hit the button to lower the display brightness.
"Thank you," she murmured without stopping what she was doing. She was cute when she was completely focused. No. Not cute. "Queens are not cute," Gregor reprimanded himself. He pushed the thought aside, and helped Luxa make better searches. After a while, he got frustrated that he could not find anything, and scooched in next to her as he focused harder.
"And this is a picture of us at the beach. Wynn always gets a sunburn," Maggie explained. Gregor glanced over his shoulder, and saw her showing Howard a photo album. Wynnora leaned over to look too.
"My cousin seems to be under the impression that he is on a holiday," Luxa grumbled.
"Leave him alone. He's had a rough year," Gregor said. He did lose two sisters after all. Maybe time with Gregor's sisters would be good for him. "Tell me if you recognize any of these plants." He scrolled though a long list.
"This is Gregor at a track meet... Here I am winning my first swimming race… That's Lizzie with her Mathlete team. She's a nerd," Maggie continued.
"Shut up!" Lizzie yelled. The two sisters laughed.
"This is a page for Wynn," Maggie went on. "These are her parents. And that is her on vacation."
"I see why you are so comfortable removing your clothing now," Howard said.
"Shut up, I didn't pick that swimsuit out. I don't usually dress like that. Keep flipping."
"Wait, I wish to see more of your pictures." Gregor heard them scuffle behind him.
"Wait," Howard said, serious now.
"No, you're not looking at that one."
"Do not flatter yourself. Look at this one. What is this plant? Here, in the picture of you in the garden."
"Uh. Foxglove. Why?" Wynnora asked.
"I recognize it." Luxa, Gregor, and his father turned around sharply. "It is found in the jungle. Except it is larger, a slightly different color, and it has a large, thorny fruit."
"Is it poisonous?" Gregor's father asked.
"Yes. I had forgotten about it. I cannot remember what the effects of its poison is."
"Well, foxglove is definitely poisonous. And the thorny fruit could mean it's related to a thorn apple. Either way, the symptoms match up," his father said. "Elevated heart rate, blurred vision, loss of nervous system control. I think your cousin just found your plant." He grinned at Luxa, who looked excited.
"Is there a way to remedy the symptoms it causes?" she asked, leaning over the back of the couch.
"I imagine the best solution is rest, but I believe there is a medication which can quicken recovery." Everyone laughed excitedly. They had done something useful even in the Overland. Luxa planned to have to medicine distributed as soon as they returned in case anyone else was attacked with the powders. Unfortunately there was not much that could be done about the powder that burned skin, so Howard just suggested soldiers keep as much skin as possible covered.
This was a great improvement for them. At least they knew they would not return to Regalia empty handed. Now all Gregor needed to do was get his mother to agree to let his sisters come to the Underland.