With the coronavirus epidemic still going on, air travel was becoming a lot less common. It wasn't strictly because airlines were shutting down, it was mostly because less people were wanting to fly in a confined place where they may encounter someone who's a carrier. But with the slow reopening of businesses, more people were starting to book flights.
And while international flights were still very rare, there was one airline that was open for special cases. Animalia Air is a semi-privately owned airline, mainly meant for travel between Animalian colonies. It had closed down early in the epidemic, but as the situation stabilized, flights were beginning to start up again. However, there were some new procedures to ensure that no one is spreading the virus around. Before each flight, passengers would have to go through a 24-hour quarantine in a sterilized area of the airport, with mandatory Covid-19 testing. Only people who were clean after this period were allowed to board the plane. It may take much longer than a normal airport boarding, but it made a big difference in reducing the chances of viral spread.
This mean that tourists who were trapped in the Animalian colonies could finally go home. It may take some time to get everyone home, but at leas they won't have to be kicking their heels in whichever part of the world they were stranded in. It also allowed people the option to take vacations, which some would say were really needed. Though not everyone was in a rush to heading off somewhere where they could be infected.
The biggest exception was Shuixing. She had been waiting months to reunite with her boyfriend, Nate Bowman. She had been particular anxious the last few weeks, considering she didn't want to miss the wedding. Not her own wedding, but Nate's father's. Ulysses was going to be marrying Blueberry, which meant several things to Shuixing. For one, she was happy that Nate's dad would be finding love again, especially after his first wife left him years ago. But mostly, since Ulysses was young again, he wouldn't need to pass on ownership of the dairy farm any time soon. And since he was surely was going to have children with his new wife, Nate would no longer be bound to inherit the farm from his father. Which meant Shuixing could have Nate and not have to leave her sisters.
Flights beyond Animalia's colonies were uncommon for Animalia Air, but they were sending tourists back to their home. Besides, Shuixing had made enough important friends to allow for a few flights to and from Wisconsin. After the wedding, Nate and Shuixing would be minding the farm while Ulysses and Blueberry will be taking a honeymoon at Mieni Atoll. Spending a week on a farm may not appear glamorous to some. It might even be longer if the pandemic surges again. But Shuixing had been waiting more than long enough and wouldn't mind if she and Nate were stuck on a desert island as long as they were together.