@timohanke provided this feedback

let fut1 = Actor1.call(); // the slow (e.g. inter-subnet) call
let fut2 = Actor2.call(); // the fast one

await fut1;
// state changes
await fut2;

in this scenario if the fut2 response arrives before fut1's, it gets saved while await fut1 is still blocking. When we come to await fut2 the continuation is not invoked immediately, because of the mandatory commit semantics enforcing a context switch.

Timo proposes an opt-in mechanism to avoid the commit and immediately go on executing the continuation, thus avoiding the delay.

I propose a parenthetical like

(with commit = false) await fut2;

to opt out of await's mandatory blocking.

The other possibility is a parallel await

let vals = [await] [fut1, fut2];

@Kamirus suggests

let val = switch (fulfilled fut2) {
  case (?val) val;
  case null await fut2
}