S1MULATTE CAFE

Because Tom can’t explain why he goes to the coffeeshop in the afternoons to stare at a woman he never speaks to, but is deeply offended by the idea it’s just because he wants to fuck her. Tom knows he can’t say she reminds me of the character I wrote and then thought was real for a while when I had that mental breakdown. Tom knows never to say she reminds me of my lover.

But Neo (buried) is basically using seeing her to get through the days. Neo (buried) is drinking in how she looks alive because Tom dreams her cut-off scream when the logos crashed on repeat. Neo (buried) remembers somewhere the last time he saw her she had a scalpel to her throat, that the last time he touched her she was dead.

And then Tiff has never noticed him but freezes up at the sense-memory of his hand in hers. Tiff has no idea why he feels familiar, why he’s easy to talk to. But the first time she gets one on one time with him Tiff (Trinity, buried) spills her guts, tells him her doubts and her hurts like she’d done it a hundred times before. And Tom is fascinated and Neo (buried) is hanging on her every word.

Then all Tiff’s ignored misery and (Trinity’s) buried rage spills out for a second in wanting to hurt the husband in her empty marriage but Tiff immediately backpedals how much she (Trinity) meant it, makes the right kind of excuses, laughs at herself again.

But Tom almost laughs and Neo (buried) is laughing and right before we finally see the Semblance of Tiff in the table you could tell Trinity (buried) actually felt seen.

So of course they had to be interrupted. Of course they had to be kept separated. Implanted memories would have never been enough control on their own. Tom (Neo, buried) didn’t know which way was up anymore and still forgot there were any other people in the world when she walked in. It took one touch for Tiff (Trinity, buried) to start dreaming the future.

The Matrix Trilogy (1999-2003) | The Matrix Resurrections (2021)

requested by @aliastrinity / Vic on Discord

bonus:

The Matrix Resurrections (2021)