¨^~=*@@@@# #@@@@*=~^¨
¨^~=*@@@@# #@@@@*=~^¨
¨^~=*@@@@# #@@@@*=~^¨
¨^~=*@@@@# #@@@@*=~^¨
¨^~=*@@@@# #@@@@*=~^¨
¨¨¨^^^~*@@ ¨^ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ^¨ @@*~^^^¨¨¨
¨^~=*@@@## 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. ##@@@*=~^¨
¨^~=***@@@ @@@***=~^¨
¨^~=****@@ @@****=~^¨
¨^~===**@@ @@**===~^¨
¨¨¨¨¨^~~*@ @*~~^¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^~~*@@ @@*~~^¨¨¨¨