Original artwork by the unbelieveablely generous and gregarious, the amazing and amicable Amaranth! <33333

It is, obviously, based upon this poster: https://www.dropbox.com/s/z3ro2obqq.....yale3.jpg?dl=0

Ama's recreation of said poster is a masterpiece! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA I LOVE ITTTTTTTTTT <3333333333333333333333333

It's a flawless transformation of the original into that which we see above, and I can never thank Ama enough for her hard work, or her commitment to this whole series of pieces, which SHE pioneered, with the Sssskyfall poster, back in 2013.

~

Once again, as is tradition, my dearest Amaranth bestowed upon me a Sondian birthday gift this year. My birthday occurs in March, but I'm posting this now because today, November 17th is the anniversary of the release of 'Casino Royale' in 2006, thirteen years ago today! [The general theatrical release in North America, anyway. >__>]

Of course, with Sond films, they always come out in March, which is an allusion to these posters being tied to my birthday, haha! :}===<

So, in the alternate [anthropomorphic] reality that gets to watch and enjoy Ames Sond films, this came out in North America, on the 17th of March, 2006.

~

Out of all the Sond films, 'Cassssino Royale' is the one most represented in my gallery, and as such, it has also had the most scenes from the film transcribed.

If you wanted to read those scenes in order, here they are:

Inkwash rendering of a moment from the pre-title sequence + CR scene 0
Portrait of the stars of 'Casssino Royale' + CR scene 1
Collage of images from 'Casssino Royale' + CR scene 2
Screenshot from 'Casssino Royale'
'Casssino Royale' scene 3 (many scenes, in fact)
'Casssino Royale' concept art + CR scene 4

What lies below is scene 6, which takes place after the sequence of the villainous squid known as 'Le Chiffre' torturing the serpentine Ames Sond in the partially-flooded belly of a docked, derelict ship.

Scene 6 is part of Sond's convalescence afterward.

Enjoy! :}

---

Aftermath

Excerpt from the Ames Sond film, 'Cassssino Royale'

Transcribed by Amethystine


~


Across the Adriatic from Montenegro and a world away from the nightmare that had been the whole sordid affair of the casino Royale, the Hotel Splendide and the rusty, unknown freighter, Ames Sond lay in the sun.

One of the doctors had said something to the effect of there being no better thing for a serpent like Ames to relax and lay still in the brightness and the warmth of the day. The British agent was naught but a lengthy collection of bruises and cuts, countless fractured or broken ribs, and a nearly pulverized tail. He had no energy to move, so following a doctor's orders - for once in his life - was exceedingly easy.

The painkillers certainly kept him from roaming the grounds, as well.

Even though he had not been aware of it, Sond had undertaken quite the journey from the rotten ship to where he was recuperating. The medical facility to which Sond had been flown by the med-evac chopper provided by Felix Leiter had been in Montenegro, where his condition had been stabilized. From there, the feline CIA agent had demanded that the naga be relocated out of the country, for the security of the snake, and Naesper besides.

Having taken a liking to Sond, Leiter had organized his induction into a rather opulent medical facility, which typically treated only the most wealthy of Italy's elite. The crafty Leiter had explained it away to his superiors quite succinctly: "Ames - in his cover - was meant to be a real high-roller, gambling millions. After his big win at the poker table, and too many glasses of victory-champagne, he crashed his flashy sports car. Sounds like a typical millionaire weekend, so where else should he recover but here?"

The facility lay on the picturesque shores of Lake Como -- and so too, did Sond.

It had been an 18th century villa that had been outfitted with the finest treatment equipment available, but from the outside, it was still every bit the picture of paradise. Lush verdant lawns lined the terraced gardens and stone railings ran the perimeter of each terrace level. Age-old statues stood upon the railings at regular intervals, marked with the dark mottling that such stone develops in the course of hundreds of years.

Beyond the immobile forms of the statuary, which stood in silent defense of the estate, was the gleaming sapphire blue of lake Como, lit by a nearly cloudless sky and the August sun beyond.

-

In the midst of all this, Sond slept softly, his upper body dressed in a comfortable dark grey t-shirt and a loose, powder-blue robe atop it, which extended to embrace quite a span of his upper reaches. On a biped, it would have been at least floor-length, if not even longer. Many other places of his body were wrapped in navy blue fabric that protected his various bandages, which themselves were often atop scale-mending stitches.

The naga's whole length was flat on the ground, curled just enough to be one wide circle, his tailtip near to his head. Rather than have their patient actually upon the grass, though, the nurses had provided a series of long cushions that would normally have been part of the many 'chaises longue' that the medically-inclined villa owned.

Sond's upper body was no different, save for being atop two long cushions, thus marginally elevating his torso.

It was next to this double-layer of cushions that Ames, in his half-asleep state, vaguely sensed a small shape placing another. The small being seemed to lay there, and then all was quiet once more. Even in his dulled state, the snake could detect the warmth of the newly arrived person - and his nose smelled her, even if his tongue was the much better tool for capturing scents.

It was indeed a 'her,' too.

His unconscious mind was being stirred toward wakefulness by some ancient instinct locked away within himself, one that might have once been attuned to respond to danger. This time, it was responding to the great affection the serpent had tied so firmly around the smell of this particular petite person.

Sond's eyes re-centred themselves and focused on the woman laying beside him. He came to realize that he had shifted in his sleep, his torso having been rolled to one side, facing the inside of the huge loop his long, legless body made. Naesper had carefully stepped into the circle of serpent and had settled down there, gazing at his sleeping face, until he had woken up.

He chuckled weakly, then murmured, "Hello."

The mantis whispered back while propping herself up on one of her upper arms, "Hello." She was dressed in a deep green, armless dress, with thick shoulder straps that made her slim shoulders seem all the more narrow. Her large, amber, almond-shaped eyes were already locked onto the snake's slitted gaze, peering at him with an unveiled love. She seemed in awe of him, or perhaps she was in awe that he was still alive.

To the snake, it seemed she was determined to care for him, to aid his convalescence. So, of course he quietly asked: "You all right?"

Smiling, but otherwise ignoring the gallant remark of the injured party asking about the well-being of the caregiver, she confessed in a somewhat hushed tone, "I can't resist waking you." She paused, looking over his somewhat marred face. "Every time I do, you look at me as if you haven't seen me in years." She took a deep breath, then finished what had begun to feel like a confession by saying, "It makes me feel reborn."

Sond shifted slightly in place on his pillows, lifting his head just enough to slip a hand under it, to help him in gazing up at the insectine beauty that held herself above him, peering down with that loving glow. A sly smirk crept across the snake's snout as he pondered, "If you'd just been born, wouldn't you be naked?"

Naesper grinned just a touch more than before and played along. "You might be right. You'd have to hide me away in your coils, so no one could see."

"What a scandalous proposal, Miss Lynzaki!" Chided Sond, while a wide smile he couldn't control was overtaking his features. "Your naked body against my bare scales? What would my doctor say?"

"I would hope he'd recognize the all-important necessity of a woman's touch in regard to true relaxation and peace of mind," Naesper pointed out, leaning closer, speaking more softly, her tone turning suggestive.

"I have no doubt you could make me relax utterly, it's the excitement of getting to that point that I fear my body might not endure," said Ames, feigning a couple coughs into his fist, below mirthful eyes. When he drew his hand away, though, he craned his neck forward, upward, closing the last few inches between himself and the black-haired vision that was hanging just above him.

"Wary of little old me, Mr Sond? How much you've changed since that night in our hotel room.." she whispered.

"You seem rather wholly different, yourself, Naesper," he hissed.

"I'm afraid I'm a complicated woman," breathed the mantis, dipping to the point where their respective noses were all but rubbing together.

"That is something to be afraid of," Ames admitted, the sound barely leaving his lips, which parted slightly as the pair slid toward each other, the long-awaited reunion kiss seemingly finally upon them.

A sudden sound of quickly walking shoes upon a nearby gravel path and a cheery, accented, "Hello~!" halted the mantid and serpent's intimate moment.

"Ugh, perfect timing. How Swiss of him," muttered Sond, as he and Naesper drew away from each other and sat up to watch the approaching, black suit-clad, somewhat chubby chamois. He was carrying a silver metal briefcase.

It was indeed the Swiss banker, Mr Mendel, who had been the kindly and trustworthy independent party that the Royale had tasked with handling the millions of dollars for the various players of the poker tournament. As far as the casino and Mendel had been concerned, the game had been entirely above-board, and the table full of big-time crooks and hoods of varying nationalities were all completely respectable. If only they had known what had gone on behind the scenes.

Perhaps they knew, and didn't care, such was the commission they were paid for their hosting and coordination services.

The silver case, which both Sond and Lynzaki recognized, contained the mobile banking terminal that all the players had used to transfer their $10 million dollar entry buy-ins to the bank Mendel worked for. It was time for the bank to transfer Sond's winnings to him.

Regardless, Naesper greeted him politely. "Oh, Monsieur Mendel! How are things in Switzerland?"

He ignored her question and proceeded, probably due to the inconvenience of how long it must have taken to get to Lake Como, when his task had been intended to remain within Montenegro. "My apologies, I do not mean to rush, but $120 million is a large sum of money to leave laying around upon our ledgers."

As he spoke, the stately ungulate began setting up the terminal on a nearby table. Meanwhile, the mantis maiden got up and stepped carefully over a portion of coil.

"It certainly is," Sond reflected, laying back on his cushions, marvelling at the total. In the heat of the moment, back at the table, what felt like years ago, it had just been abstract numbers, and piles of chips. He had known in some corner of his mind it was a vast fortune on the line, which could have easily slipped through his fingers, but not until it was about to be awarded to him - or rather, back to his government, via Naesper and the treasury department - did it seem truly real.

In an attempt to take his mind off the staggering sum, Sond - as he so often did - turned to humour. "You didn't bring any chocolates with you, did you?"

"I'm afraid not," Mendel answered in a serious tone, before letting out a bark of braying, bleating laughter, his horned head tossing back. It seemed he couldn't contain himself after so smoothly engaging with the serpent's banter. At least he thought he had.

Despite himself, Ames grinned at the funny little mammal as Mendel pressed on: "If you would type in the account number..?" he trailed off, smiling at Naesper, who stepped over to input an account that belonged to Her Royal Majesty's Treasury. "And now the password," Mendel prompted, looking from Sond to Naesper.

Likewise, the woman looked back at the reclining reptile.

"You can do that," Ames told her, tipping his snout toward the little silver-case-housed machine. It was clear the injured agent didn't feel the need to get up.

A slight shade of puzzlement crossed the pale features of the arthropod. "I would if I knew what it was."

"N..." began Sond, with his eyes on hers, then he turned to look at the machine, prompting her to follow his gaze and lean over to the red keypad buttons, typing as he spelled it out. "..A-E-S.."

The female's fingers slowed to a stop after the letter 'S,' as Sond finished: "..P-E-R."

She turned back to give him a look of shock, of disbelief. He had set the password at the outset of the poker game, long before she had shown him any warmth at all, when she had been entirely critical of the whole plan, and his chances of winning. Had he done it as a joke? Or had he been smitten by her, way back then?

The look in his eyes told her everything she needed to know.

She turned back and finished typing the last three letters, her face clouded with a swirl of emotion.

The machine beeped an affirmative tone and Mendel bowed forward to press a few buttons, deactivating and closing it up. "The funds have been transferred. Sorry for disturbing you."

As the chamois did so, Naesper stepped back into the immense circle that was Sond's spread out body, a hand on her face, deep in thought.

"Auf Wiedersehen," said the black-and-white-faced caprid, with a polite bow of the head.

"Auf Wiedersehen, Herr Mendel," was Sond's farewell to the banker, who strode off, back down the path up which he had bounded upon his arrival. The naga still lay with his torso facing out, away from the inside of the circle his form made, and the woman kneeling within it, behind his torso.

"You know, Ames.." began Naesper, causing the snake to turn his upper body over, still smiling as he had at the departing chamois. It began to falter as he saw the state of the mantid, his heart going out to her, for she looked to be on the verge of tears.

It had all come crashing down on her, the totality of the events of the past few weeks, and his endurance and protectorship of her from the outset. And now, thanks to Le Chiffre's torture, it wasn't clear what the fate would be for one particular part of Sond.

She went on, "I.. I just want you to know that if all that was left of you.." she pulled her head out of her hand and looked into his eyes. Her own were glistening but not yet overflowing. "..was your smile and the tip of your tail.." her voice cracked slightly as she fought to retain her composure. "..you'd still be more of a man than anyone I've ever met."

In the brief silence that followed, she laid down on the large rectangular cushion she had previously arranged next to him, and he pressed up to the edge of his own, so they were face to face once more. Ames' expression was neutral, inscrutable. He was astonished by the compliment, but simultaneously concerned with her apparent dismay.

They looked at each other for a long, still moment, before Sond leaned in. "That's because you know what I can do with my tailtip.." as he spoke, he surprised her with the touch of his tail against the nape of her neck, right as he said the word 'tailtip'. "--and the best part of my sssmile," he finished, with a hiss. She didn't have a chance to ask what the best part of it was, for his sibilance led into his forked tongue gliding out, to playfully flicker at her lips.

Her antennae twitched before a wide smile broke out upon her face again, much to Sond's delight.

Even though her tears were only just beginning to be beaten back, Naesper did her best to resume their coy game. "It's all a bit unclear. That night in the hotel, it's hard to remember."

"Then allow me to refresh your.. memory," Ames offered, his words dripping with sensual intent.

Smiling for a moment and then subtly shaking her head, while still keeping her eyes trained on his, gazing deeply into them, trying to read him. Naesper wondered aloud, "You're not going to let me in there, are you? You've got your armor back on. That's that."

Seeing the woman he loves beginning to pull away, physically and emotionally, Ames reached out and grasped her wrist, keeping her there, sliding closer once more. As much as he could, he bared his heart, willing his normally cold eyes to show that which was within, just this once. "I have no armor left. You've stripped it from me. Whatever is left of me..." his voice faltered and he stopped for a moment.

Naesper placed her hand on his cheek, cupping the side of his sleek head, as a tear rolled down her cheek. He began again, even more softly and sincere: "Whatever is left of me, whatever I am... I'm yours."

Nothing more could be said, nor needed to be.

The kiss they shared in that perfect moment extended into an embrace of arms, and a slow closing of the coil-circle.

~~~

Ames Sond 00S & Amethystine and related IP © to their creator
Nae Asazaki & Naesper Lynzaki © to their creator
James Bond 007 and related IP © to Ian Fleming & Albert R Broccoli's DanJaq LLC & EON Productions