SINN Féin MLAs joined Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness yesterday in giving DUP leader Peter Robinson a standing ovation in the assembly.
While Alliance, UUP and SDLP members remained seated with only a handful clapping, the Sinn Féin front bench rose to its feet and applauded the departing first minister.
The gesture from republicans is being seen as an indication of the thaw in relations between Stormont's 'big two' in the aftermath of the latest deal.
In March, Sinn Féin accused the DUP of "bad faith" over welfare reform, sparking months of recrimination between the parties.
However, in recent weeks the acrimony appears to have been directed at the Ulster Unionists and to a lesser extent the SDLP.
In addition to Mr McGuinness and the entire DUP Stormont team, those who stood to applaud Mr Robinson included former education minister Caitríona Ruane and South Belfast MLA Máirtín Ó Muilleoir.
The ovation was given to mark the DUP leader's final question time appearance at Stormont.
Although 66-year-old Mr Robinson was heartened by the plaudits, he joked that he is not dead yet.
"It has been somewhat of a surreal experience," he said.
"It is almost as if one was dead and listening to the obituary but I am, I hope, very much alive and will remain so for some time to come."
TUV leader Jim Allister, who had earlier wished Mr Robinson a "long and healthy" retirement, said he was not surprised by the appluase from republicans, which a Sinn Féin's spokesman described as an "act of courtesy".
Meanwhile, the DUP's newest assembly recruit has been warned to keep her answers brief during her first ever question time.
Emma Pengelly, who was appointed as junior minister just a month after being co-opted as an MLA for South Belfast, was reminded to stay within the two-minute time frame following her debut appearance.
Speaker Mitchel McLaughlin said: "Thank you for that detailed answer, but there is a two-minute rule which I will remind you about now."
Ms Pengelly has replaced Jimmy Spratt at Stormont, who stepped down as an MLA on health grounds.
She was a former special adviser to First Minister Peter Robinson, earning a salary in excess of £90,000 a year.
The appointment sparked criticism from long-standing South Belfast councillor Ruth Patterson, who said she felt overlooked. Ms Patterson has since been expelled from the party.
Later, Sinn Fein's Caitriona Ruane raised a "point of order" to complain that Ms Pengelly had referred to her department as the "Office of First Minister".
Although the Speaker told MLAs he felt a reprimand was unnecessary, he noted Ms Ruane's point had been made on the record.
