The Book of Wonder: Rini One Shots

Tragic Kingdom

Summary: After migrating to safety from the Outsiders, Ricky and Nini have been living freely. But what's life if there's no adventure?

Nini desired change while Ricky wanted stability. Instead, they're both greeted by a new enemy.

CW: Violence and bloodshed

This takes place in the Teenage Wasteland universe!!

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October 1, 2023

It's been very calm here for the last two years. We have not encountered a singular Outsider since our capture all that time ago, and we were obviously very thrilled about that. However, I did hear from Cody that the Outsiders have been rather successful in their quest to conquer all of Utah whenever we came down to visit a few months ago.

I tried my best to convince Cody to move his tribe up to Klamath Falls with Ricky and I since it was safe, but he refused. He said they'll fight to the death if it comes down to it since they worked too hard to just pick up everything and leave, which I understood. I hope it doesn't end up in bloodshed since I haven't seen a friend in years. Now that I think of it, we haven't heard from the Grounders in months. I hope they're all alive and okay.

Ricky and I have been thriving. He's still my rock, and I love him with every fiber of my being. I adore spending my time with him, but I must admit that sometimes I get rather bored. I don't mean I get bored with him; I mean I get tired of doing the same old thing with only one person. I miss companionship, my moms, my Lola, Kourtney...I just miss being surrounded by friendly faces.

I've recently been having wanderlust, but I'm not so sure if Ricky is on the same page. He seems content with our life, so I've been hesitant to bring up that I want to leave and find civilization with others. I'd miss this place dearly since Ricky and I have made a nice living here, but what's the point of living if there's no adventure?

I can't help but feel guilty that I want to leave since we too have gone through so much just to build this home and live in a safe area. We literally escaped death and imprisonment just to get here, and I feel so awful for wanting to ditch it all for a hypothetical safe haven. I hear him calling me from the garden. I really hope he didn't prick his finger on a rose again. We found out the hard way that he's allergic. Until next time.

***

The sun was shining brightly on the falls, resulting in the water looking divine and inviting for anyone who came upon it.

The weather during the summer was immaculate here in Klamath Falls. It was surprisingly warm considering it was in a valley, but the lovers weren't complaining.

They adored their small cottage next to a lovely waterfall that was only a few feet high. The rapids weren't extreme, and the water was much shallower than they thought when they first got here. It was only about six feet deep, and it was so clean you could see right through it. It was the perfect source for freshwater and for fishing.

Ricky and Nini have built quite the utopia for themselves with what they had. Over the past two and a half years, they've managed to garden and hunt for food successfully. Oregon's wilderness was filled with potential food and natural resources.

Ricky learned how to hunt and filter water based on what he was taught from the Outsiders, and of course he showed his skills to Nini in case he wasn't around. Nini had taught him gardening and how to upkeep the cottage correctly since his parents were apparently sloppy, and the Outsiders weren't too fond of cleaning either.

Nini had learned how to sew months before the apocalypse, so she had been making them new sets of clothing using materials around their land and from when they'd travel to different cities. She's teaching Ricky how to as well, but he struggles with it because his hands shake frequently. He was better at making weapons anyway since that was another skill he assimilated from the Outsiders.