The human, as it seemed, was terrified. Watching Pablo interrogate the child through his plaster mask seemed a little wrong. Before Zacharie could step up and say anything, "Now, now, now, what do we have here?", Pablo interrupted, stopping any current chance of Zacharie standing up for the child. However, with Pablo saying "we," it warmed Zacharie's heart to know that the old cat considered the simple, traitorous merchant as part of his group. There was more to that story, of course, where Pablo had met with Zacharie right before he went to face the Batter in the Room, crossly and properly insulting Zacharie for selling the Batter his wares. He preferred not to think about those times. Zoning back into reality, where there was nothing more than pale yellow metal, some snow-white colored water, and only two other living beings, Zacharie looked back at the child who was wearing a sweater- 'Good choice,' Zacharie thought, still in a casual stance as Pablo continued to question the human. "A human? A spectre? Or perhaps a creature of purification?"
The human gulped, and Zacharie frowned, even if it would be hard to tell through the cat mask. He stepped forward, separating Pablo from the shivering human who he had his eyes trained on. Right now, Zacharie really wished he had brought his sword with him to Zone 0, though it would be debatable on whom the masked man would use it on. He stared at the human for a bit longer, who refused to make eye contact. His disapproving frown only growing, Zacharie sighed, and gave a quick glance at the irritated white cat. "Pablo, it would probably be in your best interests to stop scaring the child." He kneeled down and and held his gloved hand out for the child to shake, much to the horror of Pablo. "Zacharie-", Pablo warned, only to be cut off by Zacharie once again, who had full eye contact with the slightly less terrified child. Time to use his experience with small children like Hugo yet again. "So why don't we start over, and just be friends?", he asked, in a slightly friendlier, higher-pitched voice.
To Zacharie's surprise, the human gave a faint smile and took his hand. "Yeah," they quietly said, looking at the ground. They then perked up and met the masked man's eyes. "I'm Frisk. So, this place is kinda weird," they started, earning a strange look from Zacharie, even if that reaction was covered by his cat mask. "Do you know where I am?" "Well, creature… You are in Zone 0, in a place called OFF," Pablo answered, his hostility gone, but his face still wary. Frisk turned to Pablo with a hopeful expression, and Zacharie looked at the cat with doubtful eyes. "OFF consists of 4 different Zones, and a very special place that should not be mentioned," Pablo continued, leveling down his vocabulary to something that a child might understand. "Every other place except for Zone 0 is… well…ruined. Purified." Pablo finished, looking at the metal ground with a sad, regretful expression, having just explained the world of OFF in a hateful tone to a now very-confused child and an unimpressed merchant.
"...Purified?", Frisk asked. Zacharie tightened his grip on Frisk's hand and pulled himself up, giving a heartless chuckle. "Black and white and broken. You don't want to go there, ami…" Zacharie trailed off, looking at Frisk and wondering if they happened to go by boy or girl. Behind him, Pablo wore a thoughtful expression, as if he were wondering the same thing. "Amigix. Right?" Frisk smiled, and Zacharie stood taller, filled with determination at correctly guessing Frisk's gender. Letting go of Frisk's hand, Zacharie pointed towards the room where he and Pablo exited, chuckling. "It would be good if we went there. It would be better to explain everything thing that's happening inside than out here. Pablo, why don't you join us?", he asked, walking into the room with Frisk trailing right behind him. Pablo, watching Zacharie explain the floating cubes to Frisk, who was curiously prodding them, sighed and muttered, "Only if the task requires me." The cat followed them inside.
As Pablo walked into the room, Zacharie looked up with a expression that read 'What do you want now, Pablo?', and Frisk did the same, yet in a moderately scared fashion. Ignoring the two, Pablo walked over and sat right in front of the empty cat food bowl, motioning with his paw for Frisk and Zacharie to sit down. They did so without a word. Clearing his throat, while Zacharie coughed, Pablo addressed the group. "I believe we have a lot discuss," he said in a stern tone. "Frisk, it is best if you explain first." The child stiffened up, and Pablo's eyes narrowed. How could Zacharie trust this beast, after seeing what had happened the last time?
"I…", Frisk started. "Do I have to explain it?", they asked. "It is better for all of us if you do," Pablo replied, warily watching the anxious child, and ignoring the still, and most likely bored, merchant, whose head was resting on his palm. "Umm… Okay."
And so, Frisk explained the story of their adventure through the Underground, with Pablo nodding in response, and Zacharie adding in few comments here and there, but he mostly just sat there, staring into space, as though he had his mind on something. Frisk, of course, was careful not to include their ability to reset, and when asked about how they got here, just simply lied.
"Creature- Frisk," Pablo started, correcting himself. Zacharie was paying attention too, with tired but curious eyes. Pablo ignored him. Whatever was ailing him at the moment could wait. "Perhaps it would be good if you told us how you got to OFF?"
Frisk shuffled nervously, trying to think of a quick and believable lie. "I… I was killed by Flowey, and I ended up here." Frisk gave a shallow grin. They would believe that, right? This place was enough like a purgatory for that to not be so far off… Luckily, Pablo didn't react too harshly, just going with Frisk's words. "Fair enough. Would you mind telling me more about the Barrier?", he asked. Frisk, without skipping a beat, gave a long and extensive explanation about how the power of 7 human souls are required to break the Barrier.
Pablo nodded in response, and Zacharie, out of his thoughts, did the same. Pablo seemed to have calmed down, trusting Frisk only a slight bit more, and instead of constantly glaring at Frisk, he started to notice that the child's head was drooping, probably from spending so long from talking about the Barrier. The cat sighed. "Well, this has been a rather strange day, no? I believe that you Frisk should go to sleep." Frisk frowned, and quietly asked, "Do you have any pillows?"
"No. We just have metal."
"Oh. Okay then." It was Zacharie's turn to speak now, as he started to turn to another room. "Ah, well, I do believe that we should give you some privacy, then." The masked man tilted his head in a rather cute way, making Frisk grin. "Don't let the space apes bite." "Space… apes?", Pablo and Frisk asked in unison, but Zacharie just stood there, with his mask's grin. "Just part of the secret ending," the merchant spoke. After a short pause, Zacharie spoke again. "Good night, Frisk." The masked man left the room, and Pablo followed soon after.
While writing this, I have learned of the recent and saddening death of Felix, creator of the amazing spinOFF HOME, on March 3rd, 2017. May he rest in peace, somewhere over the rainbow.