¨¨¨¨¨¨-†$# #$†-¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨-~~††$### ###$††~~-¨
¨-~†%$$$## ##$$$%†~-¨
¨-~†%$#@@# #@@#$%†~-¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨-†$@ @$†-¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨-~†%$#@@# ¨- ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ -¨ #@@#$%†~-¨
¨-~†%$#@@# nick wilde is a red fox and a conman. #@@#$%†~-¨
¨-~†%$#@## ¨- ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ -¨ ##@#$%†~-¨
¨¨¨---†%$@ @$%†---¨¨¨
¨-~†%$#@## he's not above petty crime, but he ##@#$%†~-¨
¨-~†%$#@@@ knows that if he puts in a bit of work, @@@#$%†~-¨
¨-~†%$#@@# he will find much more lucrative #@@#$%†~-¨
¨-~†%$#@@# rewards. #@@#$%†~-¨
¨-~†%#@@## ##@@#%†~-¨
¨¨¨-†%%$@@ and thus he's currently working @@$%%†-¨¨¨
¨-~††%%#@@ 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 ##%~-¨¨¨¨¨
¨-~†%$#@@# exchange of blood and blood meal. this #@@#$%†~-¨
¨-~†%$#@## provides two of the major materials for ##@#$%†~-¨
¨-~†%$#@@# both the colonies and miku. #@@#$%†~-¨
¨-~†%$#@@# #@@#$%†~-¨
¨¨¨-~~%%$@ ~~~ ~~~ @$%%~~-¨¨¨
¨-~†%$#@@# ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ #@@#$%†~-¨
¨¨¨¨¨~%%%# ~~~ ~~~ #%%%~¨¨¨¨¨
¨-~†%$#@@# #@@#$%†~-¨
-~†%$#@@## nick is uncomfortable around ##@@#$%†~-
¨¨¨¨~††$#@ the "wild flesh" vats. @#$††~¨¨¨¨
¨-~†%$#@@# #@@#$%†~-¨
¨-~†%$#@## ##@#$%†~-¨
¨-~†%$#@@# #@@#$%†~-¨
¨-~~~%%$#@ @#$%%~~~-¨
¨-~†%$#@@@ @@@#$%†~-¨