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"...Realistic, about my wife, dying?" he says monotonously, though there's a repeated and visible twitch at his temple. Why the fuck would Shae even put that thought out into the world? Then it nearly gets worse, when she takes his throwaway comment-- meant to prove how insane her suggestion was, by the way-- and actually tries to consider it. "You're not in a coma," he snaps. "I'm not in a coma, no one is in a coma!" Just because they haven't seen anyone from the Mountain around doesn't mean they aren't here, or won't appear here just as suddenly as Hilo, and Tar, and Shae, and Wen, and Andy, and Lott Jin did. They're not on the brink of death. They're physically fit, their minds are sharp, and there may be some bumps in the road in terms of recollection but that doesn't mean they're all trapped in some kind of hellscape here. He circles back to the subject that had brought them to this inane point in the discussion in the first place: "Do you know who's not here? Lan. We're alive, he's not. And so, we're here, he's not. Get that through your head."

What she points out is not entirely untrue. Why would Hilo ever be eager to prove himself wrong? Why would anyone? But in this case, he hasn't tossed a piece of jade at the imposter because ultimately it wouldn't matter. He exhales a breath through a clenched jaw, before attempting to work through it aloud for his sister's benefit. "If-- beyond all logic and reason and laws of the universe-- it was our brother," which is difficult enough to even consider, "he would have said so. And if the man didn't-- which he didn't-- then he's got no memories. And if he had no memories, Shae, how the hell would handing him a piece of jade prove anything?" It's not as though it'd break the spell, bring his memories startling back to life, happy reunion all around. Hilo would bet his life that it'd be nothing more than a pretty rock, in the hands of someone who doesn't remember what it does; not that it matters at all because there are no memories to remember when the man is not Kaul Lan.

                       “I’m not being cruel.” Spiteful, sure. She can’t claim not to have spoken out of spite, regardless of the potential truth to her words. Her intention had been to get under Hilo’s skin, and— okay, perhaps she’d been a little cruel. But: “I’m only being realistic.” Unlike before, Shae manages fairly well to keep her voice levelled; all thanks to the realisation that she may have toed across the line and needn’t dig herself in any deeper. Besides, what part of what she’d said is so impossible to believe? It’s not an altogether terrible theory, unlike what her brother tries to make it out to be. Half-died, huh? “Who knows? Perhaps I ended in a coma, and my memories are still stuck in limbo, somewhere,” she counters. “What about you? You don’t have all of your memories, either. Who’s to say the Mountain didn’t attack the Kaul Estate? Haven’t seen any of their kin around— we may all just be on the brink of death.”  

It’s all said a little too casually, however: they were fine now. Whatever had happened at home, clearly it didn’t much matter here (especially since even Lan had returned from the dead). “If you’re so convinced Wen will tell you the truth, why haven’t you asked her to fill you in?” Other than their three children, Shae’s yet to learn of anything Hilo or her hadn’t personally experienced. It’s unlike Hilo, she thinks, not to want to know all there is to know, just so he can keep an advantage. Less than an hour into their conversation, and he’s already lost his cool— she can’t say she’s surprised. Even in the face of his anger, Shae keeps a straight face, doesn’t flinch. For now. “What you want doesn’t matter?” She scoffs; this time the sound is meant for him. What Hilo wants doesn’t matter— more like: what Hilo wants is all that matters. It’s almost ironic that he genuinely seems to be baffled by the words. “Of course, if you want to prove that this Lan is nothing but an impostor, you could’ve simply handed him some jade; test his reaction. But you’re not all that eager to prove yourself wrong, are you?”