,,,:;;*& #&&*;;:,,,
,:~;=*&¶## ##¶&*=;~:,
,:~;=*&¶## ##¶&*=;~:,
,,,,,,:~=& &=~:,,,,,,
,:~;=*&¶## ##¶&*=;~:,
,:~;=*&¶## ,: ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ :, ##¶&*=;~:,
,,,,:~=* 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. ##¶&*=;~:,
,,,~~~~=&¶ ¶&=~~~~,,,
,:~;=*¶### ###¶*=;~:,
,:~;=*&¶## ##¶&*=;~:,
,:~;=***&& &&***=;~:,
,,,,,:~=*& &*=~:,,,,,