.^~:^¤¤@@# #@@¤¤^:~^.
.^~:^¤¤@@# #@@¤¤^:~^.
.^~:^¤¤@@# #@@¤¤^:~^.
.^~:^¤¤@## ##@¤¤^:~^.
.^~:^¤¤@## ##@¤¤^:~^.
.^~:^¤¤@## .^ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ^. ##@¤¤^:~^.
....~::^¤@ 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. #@@¤¤^:~^.
.^~:^¤¤@@# #@@¤¤^:~^.
...^:^^^¤¤ ¤¤^^^:^...
....^~~^¤@ @¤^~~^....
.....~^¤@@ @@¤^~.....
.....~:^¤¤ ¤¤^:~.....