¨¨¨¨¨¨^«=% %=«^¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^«= =«^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^« «^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^ ^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨^ ««««««« ««««««« ««««««« ^¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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. ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^ ^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^« «^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^«= =«^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨^«=% %=«^¨¨¨¨¨¨