¨,=**§¶@## ##@¶§**=,¨
¨,=**§¶@## ##@¶§**=,¨
¨,=**§@¶@# #@¶@§**=,¨
¨,=**@¶@## ##@¶@**=,¨
¨¨¨¨¨,*§@@ @@§*,¨¨¨¨¨
¨,,,,***§¶ ¨, ======= ======= ======= ,¨ ¶§***,,,,¨
¨,====*@¶@ 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. @@¶@§**=,¨
¨,=**§@¶@# #@¶@§**=,¨
¨,=**§@¶@# #@¶@§**=,¨
¨,=**§@¶@# #@¶@§**=,¨
¨,=**§@¶@# #@¶@§**=,¨
¨,=**§@¶@# #@¶@§**=,¨