.-~\†@¤@@# #@@¤@†\~-.
.-~\†@¤@@@ @@@¤@†\~-.
.-~\†@¤@@# #@@¤@†\~-.
...~~††@@@ @@@††~~...
....-\@@¤@ @¤@@\-....
...~\\††¤@ .- ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ -. @¤††\\~...
.......~†¤ 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. ¤¤¤¤@†\~-.
.-~\†@¤@@# #@@¤@†\~-.
....-~††¤@ @¤††~-....
.-~\†@¤@@# #@@¤@†\~-.
..-~\†@@¤¤ ¤¤@@†\~-..
.-~~~\@@¤¤ ¤¤@@\~~~-.