.^~**%%¤¤# #¤¤%%**~^.
....~*%¤¶¶ ¶¶¤%*~....
.^~**%¤¤¶# #¶¤¤%**~^.
......^*%¶ ¶%*^......
.^~**%¤¶## ##¶¤%**~^.
.^**%¤¶### .^ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ^. ###¶¤%**^.
....^**¤¶¶ 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. #¤¤**^....
.^~**%¤¶## ##¶¤%**~^.
.^~**%¤¶## ##¶¤%**~^.
.^~**%¤¶## ##¶¤%**~^.
.^~**%%¤¤# #¤¤%%**~^.
.......~*¤ ¤*~.......