.:~^†§@##@                                          @##@§†^~:.
......~†@#                                          #@†~......
.:~^^^^^§#                                          #§^^^^^~:.
....~~†@@#                                          #@@†~~....
.:~^†§@###                                          ###@§†^~:.
....~~^^§@       .: ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ :.      @§^^~~....
....~^^††@ 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.          @†^:......
.:~^†§@###                                          ###@§†^~:.
.:~^†§@#@#                                          #@#@§†^~:.
.....~^†@@                                          @@†^~.....
...:::^†@#                                          #@†^:::...
.:~^†§@###                                          ###@§†^~:.