.:~†%%¤@##                                          ##@¤%%†~:.
....::~%%¤                                          ¤%%~::....
.:~†%%¤###                                          ###¤%%†~:.
..:~~~~%%¤                                          ¤%%~~~~:..
.:~†%%¤@##                                          ##@¤%%†~:.
.:~†%%¤@##       .: ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ :.      ##@¤%%†~:.
.:~†%%¤@## 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.          ##@¤%%†~:.
.:~†%%¤@##                                          ##@¤%%†~:.
.:~†%%¤@##                                          ##@¤%%†~:.
.....~~†%@                                          @%†~~.....
....::†%¤@                                          @¤%†::....
.:~†%%¤@##                                          ##@¤%%†~:.