Work Text:
refulgent \rih-FUL-juhnt\, adjective:
Shining brightly; radiant; brilliant; resplendent.
Refulgent comes from the present participle of Latin refulgere, "to flash back, to shine brightly," from re-, "back" + fulgere, "to shine."
A synonym of effulgent.
***
If Giles had his druthers, his guests would be gone and he'd be happily curled up in his bed with his wife. Instead, books were spread over most of the flat areas of the living room, as well as perched in a few more precarious positions he would usually never tolerate for his precious volumes. Normally he would not allow eating and drinking around the books as well, but the years in Sunnydale had taught him the value of fuel in late-night research sessions. Even so, the casual way Spike scooped up the nachos Anya had made or procured from somewhere and took them on a direct path over the pages of the book he was studying made Giles wince.
All that was forgotten, though, with Kenneth’s cry of triumph. “I should have known it was from some Victorian sourcebook; you could tell by the language. Listen to this: "It is a symbol dear to the Order’s heart, the very embodiment of the barren stretch of time between luminous antiquity and an equally refulgent present.”
“You’re sure it’s the same symbol?” Giles asked.
“They’ve got a picture and it certainly looks like our medallion.” Kenneth eagerly passed the book over as everyone paused, hopeful their search might be done.
The illustration was indeed the twin to the medallion they’d seen at the Council’s headquarters, lending more than a little credence to the idea they might be on the right track after more than a few false starts. Giles reached for a slip of paper to mark the place and announced. “Then let’s stop there for the moment and get some sleep. We’ll do better in the morning now that we have an idea where we’re heading.”
There was a general groan of agreement and everyone started closing the books they held and levering themselves from their various perches. Kenneth held a hand out to Lydia, who readily accepted the help to stand, though Giles was fairly certain she didn’t need it – just as he was certain she probably didn’t need to catch hold of Kenneth’s arm to steady herself once she was on her feet. Something seemed to be happening in that arena, and out of the corner of his eye, he could see Spike grinning at the sight.
Unfortunately, Spike managed to ruin the mood completely with his next comment. “You’re sure that was ‘refulgent’ and not ‘effulgent’?” he asked, hand moving toward the nachos once more. “Didn’t seem to be quite the right word. ‘Effulgent’ would have been a better choice.”
“They’re synonyms,” Kenneth tossed off, his arm still around Lydia. “One’s as good as the other.”
Spike shrugged. “Some might think so, but I believe effulgent is actually the more proper usage. My old tutor at Cambridge…”
Lydia groaned; though whether because she knew what tutor he was referring to or Kenneth’s clear umbrage at the statement, Giles couldn’t tell. “And I went to Oxford,” Kenneth countered. “Besides, the language has moved on in the last hundred years; perhaps your usage fell out of fashion.”
And they were off, bickering about word usage, grammar and the relative merits – or lack thereof – of their respective universities. “I remember,” Anya said from the arm chair she hadn’t yet stirred from, “a vengeance D’Hoffryn was particularly impressed by against a pair of university students. They apparently ignored their women in favor of debate, so a friend of mine caused them to be unable to stop debating – not for food, water, sleep. They stood rooted to the spot, jabbering away about inconsequentials until they died. Made quite a splash among the community.”
It was amazing how quickly Kenneth managed to bid everyone good night and get Lydia out the door. “You’re sure that wasn’t an Anyaka special?” Spike asked when they were gone.
“No, it wasn’t. I don’t think you’ve met this one; she’s small and cute and can make herself look like the perfect little English blonde, all peaches and cream complexion. The Diana hairdo in the Eighties was too much, though.” She yawned in Spike’s general direction. “There was the vengeance I did to the guest who stayed too long...”
It was amazing how quickly Spike could move when properly motivated.