.^~\*$&¶## ##¶&$*\~^.
....~\*$¶# #¶$*\~....
.^~\*$&¶## ##¶&$*\~^.
.^~\*$&¶## ##¶&$*\~^.
.^~\*$&¶## ##¶&$*\~^.
.^~\*$&&&¶ .^ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ^. ¶&&&$*\~^.
..^~~*$$&¶ nick wilde is a red fox and a conman. ¶&$$*~~^..
.....^\**& .^ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ^. &**\^.....
.^~\*$&¶## ##¶&$*\~^.
.^~\*$&¶## he's not above petty crime, but he ##¶&$*\~^.
.....^\\$& 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 ¶$$$\~....
.^~\*&¶### exchange of blood and blood meal. this ###¶&*\~^.
.^~\*$&¶## provides two of the major materials for ##¶&$*\~^.
.^~\*$&¶## both the colonies and miku. ##¶&$*\~^.
.^~\***&¶¶ ¶¶&***\~^.
.^~\*$&¶## ~~~ ~~~ ##¶&$*\~^.
.^~\*$&¶## ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ##¶&$*\~^.
....^~~**& ~~~ ~~~ &**~~^....
.^~\*$## ###&$*\~^.
.^~\*$¶### nick is uncomfortable around ###¶$*\~^.
.^~\*$&&&¶ the "wild flesh" vats. ¶&&&$*\~^.
.^~\*$$$$& &$$$$*\~^.
.^~\*$&¶¶¶ ¶¶¶&$*\~^.
.^~\*$&¶## ##¶&$*\~^.
....^\*$ #&$*\^....
...^~\*&¶# #¶&*\~^...