¨:=\†%&¶## ##¶&%†\=:¨
¨:=\†%&&&& &&&&%†\=:¨
¨:=\†&¶### ###¶&†\=:¨
¨:=\†%&¶## ##¶&%†\=:¨
¨:=\†%&¶## ##¶&%†\=:¨
¨:=\††%%&¶ ¨: ======= ======= ======= :¨ ¶&%%††\=:¨
¨¨¨:\\%&¶# 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. ¶¶¶&%†\=:¨
¨:=\†%&¶## ##¶&%†\=:¨
¨:=\†††%¶# #¶%†††\=:¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨:\%& &%\:¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨::=\†&& &&†\=::¨¨¨
¨:=\†%&&¶# #¶&&%†\=:¨