§¨¨¨¨§¨¨¨§                                          ¨§¨¨¨§¨§¨§
§¨¨¨§§¨¨§§                                          §§¨¨§§§§§¨
§¨¨§¨§¨§¨¨                                          ¨§¨§¨¨¨¨§§
§¨§§§§§§¨¨                                          §§§§¨¨¨§¨¨
§§¨¨¨¨¨§¨¨                                          ¨¨¨§¨¨§§¨§
¨§¨¨¨¨§§¨¨       ¨^ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ^¨      ¨¨§§¨§¨§§¨
§§¨¨¨§¨§¨¨ nick wilde  is  a  red fox and a conman. ¨§¨§§§§¨§¨
¨§¨¨§§§§¨§       ¨^ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ^¨      §§§¨¨¨§§§§
§§¨§¨¨¨§§§                                          ¨¨§¨¨§¨¨¨§
¨§§§¨¨§¨¨¨    he's not above petty crime, but he    ¨§§¨§§¨¨§¨
§¨¨§¨§§¨¨¨ knows that if he puts in a bit of work,  §¨§§¨§¨§§¨
§¨§§§¨§¨¨§     he will find much more lucrative     §§¨§§§§¨§§
§§¨¨§§§¨§¨                 rewards.                 ¨§§¨¨¨§§¨¨
¨§¨§¨¨§§§¨                                          §¨§¨¨§¨§¨§
§§§§¨§¨¨§§     and thus he's currently working      §§§¨§§§§§§
¨¨¨§§§¨§¨¨   alongside hatsune miku for a company   ¨¨§§¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨§¨¨§§§¨§ that makes synthetic meal replacements.  ¨§¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨§§¨§¨¨§§¨  he's got a vague outline of a plan, to  §§§§¨¨¨¨¨¨
§¨§§§¨§¨§¨    scatter with some product, or even    ¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨
§§¨¨§§§§§¨  better, some formula? these things are  ¨¨§§¨¨¨¨¨§
¨§¨§¨¨¨¨§¨       worth a lot to a competitor.       ¨§¨§¨¨¨¨§¨
§§§§¨¨¨§§¨                                          §§§§¨¨¨§§¨
¨¨¨§¨¨§¨§§       he's been lucky; the place is      ¨¨¨§¨¨§¨§§
¨¨§§¨§§§¨§   surprisingly unguarded. once he's got  ¨¨§§¨§§§¨§
¨§¨§§¨¨§§¨ his paws on something worthwhile, it'll  ¨§¨§§¨¨§§§
§§§¨§¨§¨§¨  be easy to just waltz out. until then,  §§§¨§¨§¨¨§
¨¨§§§§§§§¨          keep doing the work...          ¨¨§§§§§¨§¨
¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨§§                                          ¨§¨¨¨¨§§§¨
§§¨¨¨¨¨§¨¨    come to think of it, the place is     §§¨¨¨§¨¨§¨
¨§¨¨¨¨§§¨§    almost eerily empty. there are few    ¨§¨¨§§¨§§§
§§¨¨¨§¨§§¨    coworkers. (in fact the company is    §§¨§¨§§¨¨§
¨§¨¨§§§¨§§    ai-run and only a few key roles are   ¨§§§§¨§¨§¨
§§¨§¨¨§§¨§         filled by actual people.         §¨¨¨§§§§§¨
¨§§§¨§¨§§§                                          §¨¨§¨¨¨¨§§
§¨¨§§§§¨¨¨    none of the employees know this.)     §¨§§¨¨¨§¨§
§¨§¨¨¨§¨¨¨                                          §§¨§¨¨§§§¨
§§§¨¨§§¨¨¨                  ~~~ ~~~                 ¨§§§¨§¨¨§§
¨¨§¨§¨§¨¨§                ~~~ ~~~ ~~~               §¨¨§§§¨§¨¨
¨§§§§§§¨§¨                  ~~~ ~~~                 §¨§¨¨§§§¨¨
§¨¨¨¨¨§§§¨                                          §§§¨§¨¨§¨¨
§¨¨¨¨§¨¨§¨   nick and miku are both stationed in    ¨¨§§§¨§§¨§
§¨¨¨§§¨§§§  early processing, housed in a state of  ¨§¨¨§§¨§§¨
§¨¨§¨§§¨¨¨    the art factory close to the docks.   §§¨§¨§§¨§§
§¨§§§¨§¨¨§  they create the early building blocks   ¨§§§§¨§§¨¨
§§¨¨§§§¨§¨  that are later combined into the meals  §¨¨¨§§¨§¨§
¨§¨§¨¨§§§§         that's sold to customers.        §¨¨§¨§§§§¨
§§§§¨§¨¨¨¨                                          §¨§§§¨¨¨§¨
¨¨¨§§§¨¨¨¨       the bases are mostly sludges       §§¨¨§¨¨§§§
¨¨§¨¨§¨¨¨¨           or pastes, such as:            ¨§¨§§¨§¨¨§
¨§§¨§§¨¨¨§                                          §§§¨§§§¨§§
§¨§§¨§¨¨§¨  =~ plant matter                         ¨¨§§¨¨§§¨§
§§¨§§§¨§§¨  =~ blood colony                         ¨§¨§¨§¨§§¨
¨§§¨¨§§¨§¨        (made with a type of bacteria)    §§§§§§§¨§§
§¨§¨§¨§§§¨  =~ wild flesh                           ¨¨¨¨¨¨§§¨§
§§§§§§¨¨§¨        (free roaming animals)            ¨¨¨¨¨§¨§§¨
¨¨¨¨¨§¨§§¨  =~ organs                               ¨¨¨¨§§§¨§§
¨¨¨¨§§§¨§¨        (taken from a living human that   ¨¨¨§¨¨§§¨§
¨¨¨§¨¨§§§¨        is willing to sell)               ¨¨§§¨§¨§§§
¨¨§§¨§¨¨§§  =~ minerals                             ¨§¨§§§§¨¨§
¨§¨§§§¨§¨¨  =~ blood colony two                     §§§¨¨¨§¨§§
§§§¨¨§§§¨¨  =~ insects                              ¨¨§¨¨§§§¨§
¨¨§¨§¨¨§¨§        (which are mainly used for their  ¨§§¨§¨¨§§¨
¨§§§§¨§§§¨        brain, which is used to extract   §¨§§§¨§¨§¨
§¨¨¨§§¨¨§§        receptors that detect pheromones) §§¨¨§§§§§¨
§¨¨§¨§¨§¨¨                                          ¨§¨§¨¨¨¨§§
§¨§§§§§§¨¨                  ~~~ ~~~                 §§§§¨¨¨§¨¨
§§¨¨¨¨¨§¨¨               ~~~ ~~~ ~~~                ¨¨¨§¨¨§§¨§
¨§¨¨¨¨§§¨¨                 ~~~ ~~~                  ¨¨§§¨§¨§§¨
§§¨¨¨§¨§¨¨                                          ¨§¨§§§§¨§¨
¨§¨¨§§§§¨§      miku is in charge of the blood      §§§¨¨¨§§§§
§§¨§¨¨¨§§§    colonies. there's large vats of the   ¨¨§¨¨§¨¨¨§
¨§§§¨¨§¨¨¨   original culture which is fed blood    ¨§§¨§§¨¨§¨
§¨¨§¨§§¨¨¨   meal, bone meal, what doesn't qualify  §¨§§¨§¨§§¨
§¨§§§¨§¨¨§   to go in the "wild flesh" paste, and   §§¨§§§§¨§§
§§¨¨§§§¨§¨   some processing chemicals. all these   ¨§§¨¨¨§§¨¨
¨§¨§¨¨§§§¨  ingredients have an effect on the blood §¨§¨¨§¨§¨§
§§§§¨§¨¨§§        which in turn affects miku.       §§§¨§§§§§§
¨¨¨§§§¨§¨¨                                          ¨¨§§¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨§¨¨§§§¨§     there is a large tank behind the     ¨§¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨§§¨§¨¨§§¨  factory that contains a vast number of  §§§§¨¨¨¨¨¨
§¨§§§¨§¨§¨ auxilliary blood colonies. miku watches  ¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨
§§¨¨§§§§§¨   over these as well. their purpose is   ¨¨§§¨¨¨¨¨§
¨§¨§¨¨¨¨§¨                 unclear.                 ¨§¨§¨¨¨¨§¨
§§§§¨¨¨§§¨                                          §§§§¨¨¨§§¨
¨¨¨§¨¨§¨§§  the factory is surrounded by the blood  ¨¨¨§¨¨§¨§§
¨¨§§¨§§§¨§      meal farms. there is a constant     ¨¨§§¨§§§¨§
¨§¨§§¨¨§§¨  exchange of blood and blood meal. this  ¨§¨§§¨¨§§§
§§§¨§¨§¨§¨ provides two of the major materials for  §§§¨§¨§¨¨§
¨¨§§§§§§§¨        both the colonies and miku.       ¨¨§§§§§¨§¨
¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨§§                                          ¨§¨¨¨¨§§§¨
§§¨¨¨¨¨§¨¨                 ~~~ ~~~                  §§¨¨¨§¨¨§¨
¨§¨¨¨¨§§¨§               ~~~ ~~~ ~~~                ¨§¨¨§§¨§§§
§§¨¨¨§¨§§¨                 ~~~ ~~~                  §§¨§¨§§¨¨§
¨§¨¨§§§¨§§                                          ¨§§§§¨§¨§¨
§§¨§¨¨§§¨§       nick is uncomfortable around       §¨¨¨§§§§§¨
¨§§§¨§¨§§§          the "wild flesh" vats.          §¨¨§¨¨¨¨§§
§¨¨§§§§¨¨¨                                          §¨§§¨¨¨§¨§
§¨§¨¨¨§¨¨¨                                          §§¨§¨¨§§§¨
§§§¨¨§§¨¨¨                                          ¨§§§¨§¨¨§§
¨¨§¨§¨§¨¨§                                          §¨¨§§§¨§¨¨
¨§§§§§§¨§¨                                          §¨§¨¨§§§¨¨