####$*^=:¨ ¨:=^*$####
#$^^=¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨=^^$#
###$*^::¨¨ ¨¨::^*$###
###$^=:¨¨¨ ¨¨¨:=^$###
##@#$*^=:¨ ¨:=^*$#@##
###@#$^=:¨ ¨: ======= ======= ======= :¨ ¨:=^$#@###
##$*^::¨¨¨ nick wilde is a red fox and a conman. ¨¨¨::^*$##
####$*^=:¨ ¨: ======= ======= ======= :¨ ¨:=^*$####
##@#$*^=:¨ ¨:=^*$#@##
#*****^=:¨ 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 ¨¨¨:::^$$@
##@#$*^=:¨ ^= blood colony two ¨:=^*$#@##
##@#$*^=:¨ ^= insects ¨:=^*$#@##
##@#$*^=:¨ (which are mainly used for their ¨:=^*$#@##
##@#$*^=:¨ brain, which is used to extract ¨:=^*$#@##
##$^=::¨¨¨ receptors that detect pheromones) ¨¨¨::=^$##
#$***=¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨=***$#
##@#$*^=:¨ === === ¨:=^*$#@##
##*=¨¨¨¨¨¨ === === === ¨¨¨¨¨¨=*##
####$*^=:¨ === === ¨:=^*$####
##*^::¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨::^*##
@#**=¨¨¨¨¨ miku is in charge of the blood ¨¨¨¨¨=**#@
###@#*^=:¨ colonies. there's large vats of the ¨:=^*#@###
###@$*^=:¨ original culture which is fed blood ¨:=^*$@###
##@#$*^=:¨ meal, bone meal, what doesn't qualify ¨:=^*$#@##
####$*^=:¨ to go in the "wild flesh" paste, and ¨:=^*$####
#***=:::¨¨ some processing chemicals. all these ¨¨:::=***#
@@##$*^=:¨ ingredients have an effect on the blood ¨:=^*$##@@
###@#$^=:¨ which in turn affects miku. ¨:=^$#@###
##$^^=:¨¨¨ ¨¨¨:=^^$##
##@#$*^=:¨ there is a large tank behind the ¨:=^*$#@##
@$***=¨¨¨¨ factory that contains a vast number of ¨¨¨¨=***$@
##@#$*^=:¨ auxilliary blood colonies. miku watches ¨:=^*$#@##
#*=¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ over these as well. their purpose is ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨=*#
@@##$*^=:¨ unclear. ¨:=^*$##@@
#@@#$*^=:¨ ¨:=^*$#@@#
####$*^=:¨ the factory is surrounded by the blood ¨:=^*$####
@#*===¨¨¨¨ meal farms. there is a constant ¨¨¨¨===*#@
##@#$*^=:¨ exchange of blood and blood meal. this ¨:=^*$#@##
@$^:¨¨¨¨¨¨ provides two of the major materials for ¨¨¨¨¨¨:^$@
@#$**=:::¨ both the colonies and miku. ¨:::=**$#@
#@#$$*^=:¨ ¨:=^*$$#@#
@@$^=¨¨¨¨¨ === === ¨¨¨¨¨=^$@@
@@@#$*^=:¨ === === === ¨:=^*$#@@@
####$*^=:¨ === === ¨:=^*$####
##@#$*^=:¨ ¨:=^*$#@##
@#$*=¨¨¨¨¨ nick is uncomfortable around ¨¨¨¨¨=*$#@
@#*==:¨¨¨¨ the "wild flesh" vats. ¨¨¨¨:==*#@
##@#$*^=:¨ ¨:=^*$#@##
##*=¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨=*##
##@#$*^=:¨ ¨:=^*$#@##
@@#$$*^=:¨ ¨:=^*$$#@@
@$^:¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨:^$@