The problem with big viral outbreaks is their effect on social gatherings. People being together in large groups raises the chances of infection. Thus, many events have been postponed until this current epidemic calmed down. It also meant places where people visited would get less frequent visitors coming in at usual hours. As such, it's put a very big crimp on public entertainment as people are switching to home entertainment.
Even in Animalia, the current epidemic has caused problems for business. Even if Animalians had a stronger immunity system than humans, it wasn't impossible for them to get sick. And they were at their most resistant to the corona virus when their own Animalian viruses were active. But there are rules to keep Animalians from wandering around unvaccinated. Not to mention the idea of 'fighting a disease with an even stronger disease' does not appeal to many citizens, particularly those of the far-right persuasion.
Probably the biggest drop in business in Animalia was the Meat Market. While the employees kept the club as clean as possible, places that would be inviting big crowds were being avoided. As such, the employees were trying to come up with ideas to keep the club from closing until the health scare was over.
Miss Fabina suggested that the club could start doing one-on-one private shows. These shows could get a lot more saucy than what shown for a bigger crowd and perhaps getting a private show would entice more customers to show up. Such marketing may not be very long-term, but it may keep the Meat Market open long enough.
But for right now, Miss Fabina was taking care of some other business. Alice had adapted rather well to being a koi fish Animalian, but there were some basic things she needed help with. Alice was having some trouble with using her gills underwater. A lifetime's habit of holding your breath underwater was hard to break. Of course, Miss Fabina herself couldn't really help with that, but she knew someone who could.
"I'ma very sorry this took so long to set up," said Miss Fabina, "This new flu thing has been throwing a major spanner in my works."
"I understand," said Alice, "Though it's a little more serious than a flu."
"That's what they always say-a," said Miss Fabina, "A stronger virus starts-a spreading around and everyone acts like it's the new bubonic plague. I tell you, getting things ready for St. Patrick's Day has been a bigger headache than I thought."
Alice paused at that. "Uh, what adult entertainment have you prepared for St. Patrick's Day?" she asked, not sure she wanted to hear the answer.
"Hmm? Oh, nothing adult, really. But they've trying to think of some way of celebrating St. Patty without getting too public with it," said Miss Fabina.
Eventually, Miss Fabina lead Alice to an apartment. The door was opened by another fish woman. Though considering her lack of hair, she was an uplifted fish. "Oh, Fabina, how are you?" asked the golden fish.
"Well, it could be better," said Fabina, "So many people afraid of leaving their homes these days. But I wanted you to meet someone. This here is Alice."
"Uh, hello," said Alice.
"Ooh, aren't you a pretty goldfish," said Aurora.
"I'm a koi fish," said Alice with a little annoyance.
"I'm not sure what the difference is," said Aurora.
"You'll hafta excuse her," said Fabina, "She-a don't know much about that kind of fish-keeping."
"It's fine," said Alice as they stepped in.
"So what can I do for you?" asked Aurora.
"Alice here is having trouble breathing underwater," said Fabina.
Alice shrugged and said, "I keep thinking I'm going to drown."
"Well, it was a shock for me to breathe air," said Aurora, "But I think I can help you figure out how your gills work."
"Well, not just that," said Fabina, "You see, I really need a bigger show to draw in more people. So, I was thinking that two lovely fish swimming together would attract more attention than just one."
Aurora blinked in surprise. "Oh, I never even thought of that."
"This is only a temporary thing," said Alice, "I'm planning on becoming a businesswoman, preferably a CEO. I'm just helping Miss Fabina because she helped me."
"Don't deny that you want to be flipping your fins for others to see," said Fabina in a teasing tone, "I can tell you get a kick just thinking about it."
"It doesn't really matter because I don't know how to dance underwater," said Alice.
"There's not much to it," said Aurora, "I have a pool that I use the practice with. I think it's big enough for both of us."
"Really?" asked Alice, blushing a tiny bit.
"You need to learn to breathe like a fish anyways," said Fabina, "Why not put some fun into it?"
"Well...I suppose it's worth a try," said Alice. While she still wanted to maintain a respectable image prior to moving up in the business world, she did feel a bit excited about this. She blamed this on her Animalian libido, but surely everyone went through a phase like this, right?