Disclaimer: Don't own Final Fantasy XV, nor any of it's characters.
Rating: T
As the disclaimer said, this takes place after my semi-retelling of FFXV, and it's somewhat-altered events. Now, we'll see how Noctis and Iris go about things post-eternal night
Destination: Hammerhead
Whew, what a day...
Despite the effort, Iris smiled a little as she continued to drive, thinking that bit-by-bit they're making a difference.
A lot remained to be done, and it'd take years to truly finish, but they're made progress over these last few months- not just her and the obvious individuals, but a majority of the survivors and refugees. Thanks to being used to harder conditions, alongside relief of eternal night being over, everyone was working hard with what they had. At first it'd been focused upon resettling the outlying regions, with a smaller fraction reclaiming their homes - though many were in temporary lodgings - helping to make sure supplies were reclaimed, including water sources and fields. Then after the immediate logistics were handled, many had gone on to the real work: rebuilding the outlands, along with Insomnia itself... even now, sometimes it looked like they weren't making dents. Yet with all the new salvaged tech/resorces, many outposts were slowly expanding to better help out, and the former imperial transport ships helped immensely.
Noct had definitely put thought into how they would rebuild too, just as a King should.
"Once a few years have gone by, things will be better than they ever were before" Iris thought, seeing Hammerhead coming up - she tried to ignore the heavy-ish feeling from her her limbs. "In time. But for now, things are steadily working their way from the ground up."
Several minutes later, she carefully pulled into Hammerhead itself.
The place had turned into an essential center for numerous things, as much as Lestallum itself. For one thing, the Hunters had set up a secondary HQ across the road from the garage so that requests would be more accessible to those in Insomnia/Leide - Gladdy often ran things here, though he wasn't content to focus purely on paperwork. Next to the garage, on an unofficial-as-yet 'airfield', sat a few non-operational transport ships brought to Cindy and Prompto's attention, which were the envy of other mechanics right now hehe. Though at the moment, she knew from texts that her brother was elsewhere on a job, Prompto was currently with Ignis in Lestallum, and Cindy was running an errand to get more spare parts. But that's okay: she's not here to meet up with any of them today, as she's got a little date action planned out... even now, the thought of such made her really warm.
Part of her felt like it's a dream, and hoped she wouldn't wake up.
Anyway though, Iris drove over and parked with no problem, and immediately looked toward Takka's shop once she was out. She smiled as she noticed Noct standing in-between Takka's shop and the general store, with a chocobo eating gysahl greens from his hands; since he was 'off-duty' now, he'd discarded his royal raiment clothes, which was probably a good call (these lands could get really warm).
Holding her hands behind her, she made sure to walk on over.
Once close enough: "Out on a little trip, are we?" Iris asked, slightly teasing.
Noct didn't look over at first, but his lip curved as she approached, his bearing remaining poised. "I just needed some time to relax, blow off steam" Noct played along, rather mild. "I gotta keep a cool head above all else."
"Normally, you do that by default" she said, leaving him to glance at her; she giggled once, before gently stroking the chocobo's fur (he kweh'd twice). "But I understand why. If I were in your place, I'd probably have ridden this handsome chocobo myself."
He gave her a small raised eyebrow, but otherwise let the comment go with a curved lip.
"Just a shame I didn't rent another one" he said, intentionally-knowing. "We probably could've... well, ridden together."
Just to mess with him, Iris choose not to answer that, though she did smile when he couldn't see; he wasn't far off. Instead, she moved her gentle stroking to the chocobo's neck, who'd just finished eating and kweh'd at her affection.
"Well, we still have some daylight now, Noct" she said gently. "There's still a bunch we can do today. Or do you not have any plans?"
Noct went 'Heh', but touched his hand to her arm, which surprised her a little. "No, I do" he said sincerely, though he seemed a bit inwardly-nervous, for some reason. "Just that I'd like to go to Galdin Quay, if that's alright with you Iris. We've got some things to talk about in private."
For a moment she was curious, but Iris smiled. "I'd like that a lot" she breathed, softer. "Should we go right now, or return this little guy here first?"
"This 'little guy' first, but then straight there."
Galdin Quay
Noctis was relieved to see the seaside city bouncing back; it still had yet to finish all repairs, but it's slowly expanding much like Hammerhead, and is apparently considering making the shorelines beach property now. He wished he could the other continents had things as 'good' as them though... while many of their people had migrated to Lestallum, the cities themselves were still ravaged, with only small pockets of survivors found at this time (those who hadn't fled to Lucis, for one reason or another). Once things in Lucis were fully stable, he intended to do something about that - at least some people would want to go back, start over or try and find more survivors, perhaps both. In fact, some had asked him about doing so already, and the only reason he said that it's not possible yet was because of their own logistics.
He shook his head then, trying to clear his mind; he's lingering a little too much on today's current issues... guess he's had a few too many long days. For now, spending a little time with Iris and relaxing sounded real good, even if he did have something important to tell her first with these talks.
As he got out of the parked car, Iris was just ahead, looking around the city.
"Beyond the new stuff, it's almost like it was before" she whispered, hands together with a little smile. "Even the haven looks the same."
"Yeah, and it still glows at night" Noctis breathed, feeling much the same. "I'm not sure how much longer they'll do that, but I want to make sure they stay untouched."
Iris nodded, looking at him then. "Any chance we're visiting there?" she asked, softer.
A small chuckle. "Later, along with some dinner, but we're not staying for the entire night unless there's a good reason" he said with ease. "For right now, I thought we'd go near the docks. There's something I'd like to talk about, along with possibly get in a little fishing."
"Oh really?" she breathed, getting a little grin. "I'm eager to see that again. Do you still demand that people watch you fish while you show off your skills?"
That comment didn't surprise him, as he'd gotten the feeling that Iris wouldn't let him live that down; the guys occasionally needled him with similar stuff.
"I still think I'm good, great even, but other than that I'm not likely to brag" Noctis chose to answer, smirking slightly. "Though I wouldn't say no to teaching you how to fish, Iris."
Iris had a twinkle in her eyes, clearly liking that. "Perhaps another day, when we have more time together" she said, more gentle as she took his hand, intertwining her fingers through his. Despite a small bit of awkwardness (sometimes happened even now), he didn't mind her doing so - plus he was pleased to note that Iris seemed legitimately interested, regarding his offer to teach her fishing. "Still, this thing you wanted to talk about, Noct. Can you say it now, or is it super-private?"
Noctis prepared himself a bit, then gave a little smile. "Technically the latter" he said, before gently pulling her along. "Come on."
He had them walk down toward the beach- Iris probably thought they were going straight to the docks, but he moved past them somewhat, finally stopping about a good few hundred feet from Galdin Quay, currently clear of crabs. Several seconds passed with him just looking out at the ocean, while Iris appeared to do the same beside him, even glancing down as if considering taking off her shoes for the lapping waves.
Not a bad idea, if later.
Then Iris made a sound, curious. "Well, don't keep me in suspense, Noct" she teased, nudging his arm with her elbow. "What's this about?"
He breathed in a little, then gestured with his free hand-
-Iris jolted when suddenly, both of them were surrounded by the royal arms, which rotated for a time with a shimmering tune.
Patiently waiting, he watched as Iris looked with interest- she knew a few, having been there with him at the beginning, but most were still strange to her. As she turned in place, regarding all thirteen with curiosity and a little wonder, Noctis could see that the realization was beginning to hit, if not the exact details.
"So pretty, and cool too" Iris said, giving him a brief little grin. "So, what about them?"
Noctis considered his words one more time, then let out a breath.
"Well" he said, looking straight at her: "The matter of who gets to wield them, has been changed somewhat."
In an instant, her curious demeanor gave way to surprise, and she blinked several times. "Changed? How exactly?"
Feeling a lot inside, he nonetheless strove to keep an even tone. "Before, only the royal blood of Lucis could truly wield them" he continued. "Any trusted companions could take them up if permission was given, but only briefly, and they had to physically be beside the King/Queen to do so, similar to the guys or the Kingsglaive wielding magic."
"And now, it's different from that" Iris said, a bit slower yet still curious. "But, hasn't it been that way for a long time, Noct? How'd you score that?"
"I didn't, Iris" Noctis admitted, a bit heavier. "I only agreed with the idea... Luna is the one behind it."
Iris went a bit still for a moment, her expression changing to this more solemn one, and she held her hands together as she glanced down. It was clear she wasn't feeling anything seriously bad, but didn't know what to say right now... he knew why that's so, but remained focused on what else he had to say:
"After I- after I came back, the Ring of the Lucii, and the Crystal were taken from the throne room, because they were both unneeded now. I believe Luna knew of this, and while continuing her task, she thought about how I'd handle myself as King of Lucis... and made some sort of deal in the process. I'm not certain what happened, or when, or exactly how, but I believe an agreement was reached recently" he continued, slowly rubbing his head, but always sincere. "Whether as charity or as recompense, any of my bloodline can now grant - and take away - full usage of the royals arms to others. Those they trust completely."
Several seconds passed then, Iris looking back at him, her eyes filled with several emotions.
"...wow" she breathed, sincere as she smiled. "Just wow. That- I can't imagine that was an easy decision for the past Kings."
Inwardly, Noctis had to agree- he knew they're proud, very selective about who wields the power of Lucis, and more. He's trying to imagine what Luna argued, perhaps even over months, to get them to agree to that... or if members of the Six had a hand in this discussion too, considering Gentiana/Shiva had personally informed him of this matter.
It's a little frustrating how little he knew about the behind-the-scenes particulars/progression, but thus far it is what it is.
"Still, you get to keep full command?" Iris continued, bringing his attention back - her voice was a bit tentative, if curious and interested. "Anyone else can wield at least one?"
"Only one, if I'm understanding the details correctly, but yeah" he answered, slowly nodding. "And whoever wields them can also phase and warp, for as long as they can wield them, as an added benefit."
After a moment, Iris glanced around all the royal arms again. "Again, wow" Iris breathed, almost wondering. "I'm not even sure what to say. Except that easy decision or not, that's really cool of them."
Noctis agreed with that too, but also shifted in place.
"There- there's one other thing too, Iris" he said, not as easily; Iris looked back at him again, curious. "While most everyone has to abide by that, one person can get it all. Access to all ancestral royal arms, magic, ability to potentially enter covenants with the Six if necessary... you name it."
That really surprised her; Iris even let go of his hand as she stared at him.
"Uh- okay, that- that really sounds too good to be true" she eventually said, blinking. "Yet you look serious... who gets to be that special someone?"
It took him a little, setting his mouth as he steeled himself.
"...whosoever marries the current ruler of Lucis."
After a split-second of recognition, then came the real shock; Iris practically froze for a time, cheeks growing redder. He had some trouble looking at her in that moment (and had barely kept from mumbling the actual line), but still managed to do, waiting for whatever answer she'd give... then after a few seconds, he gestured and the royal arms disappeared from view.
He did just make his whole point clear, s-so yeah.
Eventually: "Ah- woah uh, that's- holy crap" she breathed, flustered, at least before a thought seemed to strike. "Wait... w-what about just being together?"
His mouth twitched, as he remembered asking that general question at the time... barely, given his reaction(s) back then.
"No, just marriage" Noctis said quickly, powering through before it gradually got 'easier'. "And even then, it- everything really, can be invoked and revoked by said ruler, as I mentioned earlier. As of now, I'm- I'm the only one who gets to decide that as King."
Iris fidgeted once, hands held together for a bit. "But- but until then, they'd be the same as everyone else" she said, still red-cheeked but keeping her composure; her voice got easier as she spoke too, by experience. "Only able to wield one royal arm, to help make sure they can protect you... or help you deal with threats. Right?"
"Of course."
After several moments, something seemed to change for Iris: she smiled, the redness starting to disappear. "You know, I admit that I was a little jealous back then" she said, more soft - he was initially confused, thinking that was a quick turnaround. "Even despite the situation, I always thought it was a little unfair, how you got to wield those cool powers and the rest of us couldn't. Now though, it looks like the guys and I- well, we might just get to do that now."
Huh... that's the first he's hearing of this, though at the same time, he's relieved that Iris is intentionally changing the subject a little. Still a bit wondering about the quick turnaround, but relieved - after all, this is something that takes time to think about, and sink in properly. Part of him wished he hadn't had to mention this whole thing, but because they were involved... well, he wasn't blind to the implications, even if he had difficulty t-thinking about such. Yet even ignoring that, he couldn't ignore the potential for Iris - or the guys - to get stronger with even just one royal arm, along with learning how to phase and warp.
Pushing all that to the side (as he could think later), Noctis returned the smile after a moment.
"Sure, you guys can probably share now" he said, trying to be mild- not entirely sure it worked, but Iris didn't seem to find anything wrong with his attempt. "And well, from what I've gathered thus, while the choice isn't permanent it can't be easily changed. So choose wisely."
"Noted" she said with equal attempted mildness, before looking around again - she only just then seemed to register that he'd made the royal arms disappear, which briefly threw her off. "But uh, I think I'll want to see each one in action before I choose, when-and-if the time comes."
Not a bad idea there; even if she chooses one of the swords - considering she's trained with Cor - the added abilities would change how she battles. Still, he stepped forward- when he re-took her hand, Iris briefly jolted and glanced down, but soon relaxed about it.
"Guess we'll save that till the next training session" he said, simply sincere. "It'll be more efficient that way."
Iris soon hummed. "Yeah, but when I get the hang of things, I'm gonna kick your ass, Noct" she said with the same tone/a mischievous smile.
He raised an eyebrow. "No need to sound like your brother, Iris."
Her smile turned into a little grin. "Well as part of my job, I can tease such" Iris said, before moving back toward Galdin Quay's dock; this included 'dragging' him along for the ride, however briefly. "Now come on, didn't you say you wanted to get in some fishing?"
To that, Noctis just chuckled; like he's gonna pass that opportunity up.
/
Lachyrte Haven; near Galdin Quay
Somewhat later
Ah, now that brought back memories.
Seriously, Iris still remembered to way before their fateful road trip, when she and the guys would be with Noct when he fished sometimes. He'd been pretty insistent they watch him the entire time, seemed almost smug regarding his skill (if kinda-harmlessly so), and otherwise lighting up with excitement whenever he caught something- well, except for the small fry of course. Seeing him fish again these days definitely made her feel content, not just getting to be alongside him, but also seeing how much he enjoyed the peace-and-quiet, plus the obvious struggle between hunter and prey. Although he'd toned down the first two qualities, all the rest still mostly applied, and it was a joy to see that.
Plus she'd enjoyed the smaller moments too, such as sitting at the edge of the dock, lightly kicking her feet across the water's surface. And of course, whenever Noct caught something, making sure she helped handle the fish that he caught - that was a new experience, considering those guys were slippery to the touch, but Noct was enjoying himself.
At the end, he'd even mentioned that one day he'd catch Galdin Quay's 'devil'- she's curious, but felt the details could wait.
Yet even as she remembered, unbidden, her mind recalled Noct's statements from earlier-
Whosoever became his wife, huh...
-she quickly shook her head, cheeks heated.
N-No, she can't think of that; it- it wouldn't be proper.
Anyway, after a time: "You must be glad to fish again, Noct" Iris said gently, helping set up the camping chairs. The fire burned steadily, pretty warm this close-up, but the light it cast over the area was truly pretty. "Making sure your skills are still sharp and all."
Noct made a 'heh' sound, setting up the grill. "Sharp erryday."
For a moment, Iris had to make sure she heard right, and then looked straight at Noct. "'Erryday'?" she asked, torn between incredibility and gut-busting laughter. "The heck's that supposed to mean, Noct?"
"Exactly what you think it means, Iris" he responded, briefly smirking.
She shook from suppressed laughter even as she righted the last chair, then went over and lightly tapped his shoulder for what he'd said. He chuckled at this hit, which made her crack as well, and their laughter went on for at least ten seconds; he's so silly sometimes. Despite their laughter, Noct kept setting up as normal, along with prepare the ingredients - she did her best to help out after a time, trying to suppress giggles as she rummaged through his supplies. Briefly, she saw that among the regular stuff, he did kept a container or two of Cup Noodles handy, just in case his supplies started running low.
Well that's fair, unlike her brother who can't get enough of them.
"It's certainly unique, Noct" Iris said after a moment, softer. "Though I imagine you only say it in private."
Noct looked at her, eyebrow raising slightly. "Would you expect a calm, dignified King to say that on live TV?" he asked, rhetorical; she gave him a small, mischievous head-tilt. "Probably not."
"Still, I really like it; I haven't laughed that hard in awhile."
There was a small reaction, but she knew that had clinched it for him. "It was good to hear too" he said after a moment, with an almost-subtle hitch. "Really."
Normally she would've asked him to follow-up, but with how warm she felt from hearing that, she decided it could wait.
"Still, I'm a bit surprised right now. When I asked if you helped out with the cooking long ago, the answer was 'no'" Iris added, remembering that otherwise-normal moment vividly. "So have you been learning from Ignis? Or relearning pointers from your part-time cook job, way back when?"
A small glance at her, before Noct let out a 'heh'. "Well, I did need some practice again" he said, heavily nostalgic - he kept that up even as he worked the grill, while Iris helped out with smaller tasks, such as seasoning; he let her, since she wasn't too bad herself. "Letting Ignis do all the cooking back then- it was his job, and I didn't want to interfere."
"I can understand that much" she admitted, before secretly grinning. "But were you just lazy?"
The old Noct would've looked at her in irritation, and probably retorted with some comment- this one's mouth just twitched a bit. "In a way" he said after a moment, measured - she took note of that, subconsciously seeing how he's changed again. "While I wasn't spoiled, exactly, in hindsight I was definitely kinda-pampered back then, Iris."
Iris nearly laughed again, thinking it wasn't too far from the truth - but of course, underneath that he's always been a good person; no doubts there.
"Well, maybe I can help teach you how to cook sometimes, Noct" she said, more gentle. "It'd be a fair trade for you teaching me how to fish."
A little smile, Noct's eyes closing for a bit, as if imaging it. "I'd like that, Iris" he said sincerely, looking at her. "Thank you."
"It'd be my pleasure."
...
More than anything, Noctis was glad that Ignis's lessons had first included how to properly grill fish; that'd been a lacking element of his cooking skills, basic or otherwise. Now he could catch fish and properly enjoy them whenever he wanted, which he definitely regarded as a plus- it's true his schedule didn't allow time to fish every day, but it's worth it anyway.
"Mmh- mmh. Definitely not bad."
He glanced at Iris, glad to see she's enjoying her meal - her chair was set up beside him on the left side, with only a small table between them, holding a salad bowl there as her side dish (which brought up what he's still deciding internally). Combined with the fire they'd set up, it was definitely reminding him of that first camping experience between the five of them, and where she'd confessed her feelings by the shoreline. On a side note, it also brought up a bunch of their other earlier moments- their 'date' in Lestallum, his comforting her after Jared's death, that moment where she'd given him that moogle doll, his infamous moment at Cape Caem, and their meeting during eternal night. In fact, speaking of said moogle doll, the memory of that little guy led him to glance down at their feet; it sat there, leaning against the leg of Iris's chair.
Still kinda... not exactly what he'd call 'cute', but better than what he'd thought before.
Then he smiled. "'Not bad', Iris? So you thought I was a bad cook before?" Noctis asked, lifting his gaze-
-Iris gave him a teasing glance, grinning slightly. "I didn't say that, Noct."
"Yeah yeah."
A small giggle. "Now that sounded like how you used to be" she added, softer as she leaned back against her chair. "I have to admit, I miss hearing that all the time, like before. I know that you have to act as King, and I don't really mind the change, but even still."
Inwardly, he thought that he missed it too- he'd gone through most of his life that way, and while his ordeals have changed him, it's not surprising he sometimes slipped into old habits in private. "Well, occasionally I can speak like I used to" Noctis said, more gentle. "But it'll have to remain a private thing Iris; you know why."
"Mmh" Iris breathed, smiling. "Of course I do. And with how busy you usually are, I wouldn't be surprised at all."
He knew that feeling; managing an entire continent to get back onto it's feet, even with others in authority handling the minute details, routinely meant he's always handling something or the other. But this made it equally important that he schedule some off-time for himself, to catch up with the guys and/or Iris, whenever their/her own schedules could work with this.
And for now, just gotta keep working at everything one day at a time.
"Well we can still enjoy things on occasion, Iris" Noctis said, before shifting. "And is uh- is there a reason you aren't sitting closer to me?"
Iris's cheeks turned pink, though it was hard to tell in the flickering firelight- her smile and the look in her eyes remained soft. "Well, I just wanted to enjoy the moment" she whispered, before beginning to move. "But now that I have an actual invitation, how can I say no?"
Ah, so there was an actual reason- slightly unexpected, but he went with it, holding Iris's plate of fish for her while she moved the chair (and the moogle doll's placement). Once she was done, sitting directly beside him now - no space between the chairs at all - she took her plate back, before easily settling herself against his arm/shoulder.
Mmh, she's always liked doing that.
"Even though you're still hesitant sometimes, I'd say you're learning fast, Noct" Iris breathed, gentle. "I was always the one teasing you, but now we're closer to even, even if it's more my thing."
"Something wrong with that?" Noctis asked, with the same gentle tone.
A small giggle. "Wrong? I love it" she answered, angling her head to look at him. "And not just this- everything."
Hearing that made him feel warm, heart beating faster- he hesitated at the thought of stuttering a reply, before an idea struck. So he moved his arm instead - because Iris was laying against it, this took some adjustment, including a look from her as if something might be wrong. He gave a little head-shake to show that she's fine, before his arm moved around to her other side, settling against her own arm and fingers brushing over her hand. It wasn't long before Iris angled her hand, allowing him to grasp it after a moment, and then she snuggled even closer against his side (as much as the chair allowed), with his arm 'draped' over her.
Perhaps it wasn't the same as saying sweet things, b-but this should be equally good.
"...sometimes I envy you, Iris" he admitted, still gentle (if with a hitch now); he felt her head move, no doubt questioning. "You can say that so easily, so openly. It's- it's admirable, really."
Before he knew it, her other hand had moved up to his cheek, pulling him down for a brief kiss- he didn't return it due to surprise, but her smile was soft.
"I'm not the only one who's admirable, Noct" Iris whispered, palm still on his cheek.
Noctis let out a breath, hearing not just the obvious implications but also the pride in her voice; it's making him feel even warmer, almost to the level of 'too much'. Thinking he probably couldn't get in many words right now, he leaned over instead, kissing her- far from being surprised, Iris liked it and returned the favor. Seconds passed as they did, then his right hand moved up to her cheek and, after a hesitant start, brushed against her hair - though he wasn't 'deep' about it, his fingers started to thread through it. Iris made a breathy sound that initially startled him, but when she 'only' continued to kiss him, he quickly got over it, left hand moving up to her other cheek.
When they caught their breath afterward, he saw Iris look at him real close-up. The softness in her eyes truly affected him in that moment - he's known for awhile that s-she loves him, truly, and part of him felt that she's tempted to say it right now.
But she didn't, for which he's inwardly grateful.
She kissed him again, but to his surprise, it only lasted for about ten seconds before she seemed to have had enough. Though when he started to remove his fingers from her hair, Iris gave him a little mischievous look, which made him reconsider- hehe, well okay then. They didn't say more for awhile, her still leaning against his side, and his fingers lightly threading through her hair while Iris's hand rubbed over his leg, which he found oddly comforting. They continued to eat their portions of fish by instinct, the flickering fire sending warm air their way, just like always.
He closed his eyes, smiling as he enjoyed this moment.
It really wouldn't be so bad, if they could always have moments like this, if Iris was his-
Only an effort of will kept Noct from physically jolting; his eyes opened, heart beating faster as he realized that thought. Slowly, he regarded the weight (and warmth) of Iris laying against him, and the ways that they enjoyed each other's company...
Well...
Uh... m-mmh...
Even before a few asked/wondered about continuations, I was already thinking of that, even before I posted the semi-retelling. And now, here's one such, with nine chapters in total this time. While the story will detail some of the changes post-eternal night and how they'll be handled, since Noctis lived/is still King of Lucis and all that, mainly it'll be fluff between these two.
^Overall, I imagine post-timeskip Iris to look a lot like this work, which really befits her as a Daemon Slayer - entered without parentheses, naturally: h(t(t(p(s(:(/(/(68(.(media(.(tumblr(.(com(/(68479f6a77735892fc72aa2fbb422f1f(/(tumblr(_(om9jk4gzQc1qm6dm2o1(_(500(.(jpg(
Also, the bit with the royal arms just seemed like a natural progression to me - after all, in-game the other guys could wield them during Armiger Arsenal, however briefly. To have those closest to the King/Queen able to truly wield them, even if only because they were granted that right, would seem a good sign of trust and subsequently help protect the royal line better. Considering Lunafreya's drive to help others however she can, without regard for her own sake, it sounded like something she'd do in this situation, or at least tried to get done since even death might not have stopped her. And considering what she did in the added Royal Edition cutscenes, this kind of thing seems like less of a stretch now