"Fine, I might know someone who can help you, but you have to promise you'll return the tooth," Henrietta said.
In fact, Henrietta knew at least a dozen demons, ghouls, and fairies who could help Azoom. Only one of them, however, wouldn't demand a blood sacrifice.
Azoom raised his hand to his head and yanked out one of his white curls. Then quickly, he grabbed Henrietta's wrist and wrapped the hair around it. It clung gently onto her satin glove as if coated in invisible glue.
"This better not be some sort of weird enslavement curse," Henrietta said firmly. The hair shimmered, changing into a bracelet made out of a fine single strand of rose gold.
"Oh, it's hardly slavery! The bracelet just binds you to me until you fulfill your promise," Azoom replied.
Henrietta realized she could now sense something coming from Azoom, an almost invisible twisting rope.
Azoom took Henrietta's hand and raised the bracelet to his lips. "I will return the tooth once the boy has been found," he whispered, his voice humming against her skin.
Henrietta snatched her hand away, blushing with a mixture of embarrassment and surprise.
"We'll now have to remain within five feet of each other until the bargain has been fulfilled," Azoom nodded, and Henrietta rolled her eyes.
"Let's get this over with," she replied firmly as she stood up and marched towards the restaurant's exit.
Suddenly her legs stopped mid-stride as a frantic tugging pulled at her wrist.
"Well, hurry up then," Henrietta yelled at Azoom.
"Henrietta, where have you been?" Henrietta's father's voice called as the bell rang above the family's shop located below her home. Henrietta's father, Li Han Chiak, was sitting at the front counter watching videos on his phone.
Henrietta had insisted on having Azoom whoosh them back to her place once she realized the fancy steak restaurant was located on a boat in the middle of the ocean. Home for Henrietta had always been 36 Burwood Road. Over the centuries, home had come in many forms. When Henrietta was a toddler, it was a canvas tent prone to flooding, on the edge of the farm Li Han worked on.
A tin shed with a roof so hot it could fry eggs during the summer.
For a brief time in 1883, Li Han dated a Yaksha who insisted on turning the shed into a giant golden castle.
Since 1897, however, home had been part of a row of Victorian terraces with shops on the bottom floor.
When Henrietta was small, Li Han sold fresh vegetables to the humans and fresh bones to the monsters. Then it was tinned cans and rations during the first world war followed by potions during the great depression.
Over the next few decades, shops blossomed and withered away. A giant shopping center appeared opposite the park. Cranky Sam's Variety store, on the other hand, got a new sign and a fresh coat of paint.
Many of the humans assumed the original Cranky Sam had died decades ago, and the cheap dollar store was now owned by a grandson and his sweet daughter.
Henrietta wove through the groaning shelves filled with knockoff superhero toys, cheap spoons, and broken phone chargers until she reached the refrigerator in the back.
"I told you I had an exam tonight, Daddy," Henrietta sang as Azoom tripped over a bucket of mops revealing a peculiar golden statue with green glowing eyes.
When humans approached the fridge, all they saw were expensive bottles of water, cans of cola, and an occasional bottle of milk.
When Henrietta looked at the fridge, she saw the items only available for "special customers."
"I told you not to drink that, Chuánwěi! The fake sugar gives you cancer and the ectoplasm is bad for your gut health," Li Han remarked as Henrietta grabbed a bottle of her favorite "Boom Boom Wild Kiwi" energy drink.
"According to you, everything is bad for my gut health," Henrietta replied, snapping the drink open.
"That's because everything is bad for gut health! You should be sticking to the wild mushroom and eggplant diet," Li Han remarked from where he was eating a pile of spicy drunken noodles.
Li Han then glanced up, noticing Azoom who was trying to pick up the brooms.
"Leave the brooms, you have to put them back a special way or they'll fly out the front door," Li Han said as one of the brooms jumped, floating towards the ceiling. "Daddy, this is Azoom, he's a Djinn." Henrietta said, gesturing to Azoom.
Li Han glanced Azoom up and down, his eyes hovering briefly on Azoom's chest before snorting.
"Hmph, he's not allowed in your room," Li Han remarked, and Henrietta rolled her eyes before walking to the shops third row.
Behind the ancient boxes of "genuine sea cucumber and honey soap" that nobody ever bought, Li Han kept his more "unusual" items.
"How is your father still alive? Humans usually die after a hundred years," asked Azoom.
Henrietta pulled a jar out from behind the soaps, holding it up to the bright fluorescent light. Tiny glowing balls floated in the briny liquid, and Henrietta nodded with satisfaction. Daithi was a sucker for organic pickled demon spawn.
"I thought you knew everything," Henrietta said as she carried the jar to the counter.
"I only know people's secrets," he said. "Obviously, that means your father's immortality isn't a secret."
Henrietta laughed and began to enter the price of the demon spawn and energy drink into the register. Henrietta's father was firmly against stealing from the inventory.
"Hey Dad, tell Azoom why you're immortal," Henrietta said as she pressed her bank card against the reader.
"Why are you buying that nonsense! It's so expensive, and demon spawn gives you heartburn," Li Han replied, trying to brush Henrietta's hand aside.
"It's for Daithi; I'm going to have to bribe him," Henrietta replied, and Li Han snorted. Li Han had never been a fan of Henrietta's mother's family.
"Make sure to keep the receipt; we can declare it as a charity donation," he said, and Henrietta patted her dad's shoulder.
"You haven't told Azoom why you're immortal," she said, and Li Han smiled, revealing two gold teeth.
"Oh yes! Picture this, young man - it was a hot summer night, and the beach was burning, with fog rolling over the sand," Li Han recited, waving his hand dramatically through the air.
"Why does that sound so familiar?" Azoom asked the empty shop in general, and Henrietta rolled her eyes.
"Because he's quoting the hit song 'You Took The Words Right Out Of My Mouth' by Meat Loaf," Henrietta said, and then she began to hum the familiar tune.
"Ah yes, the one that's always on golden oldie radio stations!" said Azoom. "I know that song! Oh, it must have been while you were kissing me! You took the words right out of my mouth!" he sang in an off-key voice that sounded like a dying cat.
"First of all, never sing in front of my daughter," Li Han insisted. "She sings like an angel, and you are embarrassing her with your screeching. Secondly, Meat Loaf stole that song from my story."
Henrietta smiled and rolled her eyes.
"Right," said Henrietta. "Meat Loaf flew to Australia in 1975 and happened to wander into a tiny grocery store where you told him the story of how you met my mother." Henrietta sighed.
"It was in Bray Studios in London in 1975! I was there when they filmed the Rocky Horror Picture Show, visiting my girlfriend at the time who was a vampire dancing in the time warp," Li Han said to Azoom eagerly.
"What's The Rocky Horror Picture Show?" Azoom asked Henrietta.
"It's a movie," Henrietta said, and Azoom blinked.
"What's a movie?" he asked again, and Henrietta blinked with surprise, trying to figure out how to explain the concept of a movie to an all-powerful magical being.
"It's like a play, but you can watch it on a screen in your home or in a big room filled with people on a big screen," Henrietta explained. "It's been a thing for at least a hundred years now."
"Oh, you mean a film sans paroles! I saw one of those ages ago; it was a moon with a rocket in its eye! When this little adventure is over, I will be taking you to this show of Rocky Horrors," Azoom said with a dashing smile.
"Little adventure? What is this monster talking about? I told you no dating until you finish school!" Li Han snapped, and Henrietta popped the pickled jar into a grocery bag.
"Azoom is just being dramatic, Dad; we're just going to drop the demon spawn off at Daithi's house," Henrietta replied, kissing her father's cheek.
"I don't know why you bother; that Daithi is such a ngong gau," Li Han replied as Henrietta gestured to Azoom that it was time to leave.
"Ngong gau?" Azoom asked Henrietta as they left.
"Even if I wanted to translate what he said, I can't," Henrietta sighed.