diff --git a/lib/crypto/src/arch/x86_64.rs b/lib/crypto/src/arch/x86_64.rs
index b1270fa473d..1778f7a60ca 100644
--- a/lib/crypto/src/arch/x86_64.rs
+++ b/lib/crypto/src/arch/x86_64.rs
@@ -127,16 +127,25 @@ impl Features {
     }
 }
 
+/// The cache publishes only this public word, not any other memory.
+static FEATURES: AtomicU32 = AtomicU32::new(0);
+
+/// Inline: every instruction path asks, several times per message.
+#[inline(always)]
 pub(super) fn features() -> Features {
     if cfg!(feature = "portable") {
         return Features(Features::READ);
     }
-    // The cache publishes only this public word, not any other memory.
-    static FEATURES: AtomicU32 = AtomicU32::new(0);
     let cached = FEATURES.load(Ordering::Relaxed);
     if cached & Features::READ != 0 {
         return Features(cached);
     }
+    first_features()
+}
+
+#[cold]
+#[inline(never)]
+fn first_features() -> Features {
     let read = Features::read();
     FEATURES.store(read.0, Ordering::Relaxed);
     read
diff --git a/lib/crypto/src/arch/x86_64/chacha.rs b/lib/crypto/src/arch/x86_64/chacha.rs
index c38d54609ec..6aa4363090d 100644
--- a/lib/crypto/src/arch/x86_64/chacha.rs
+++ b/lib/crypto/src/arch/x86_64/chacha.rs
@@ -393,14 +393,28 @@ pub(super) unsafe fn seal(
     384 * n
 }
 
+/// The state with a zero counter. Indexing, not slice copies or iterator
+/// adaptors, whose debug precondition checks the shipped profile calls out
+/// of line on every message.
 fn initial(key: &[u8; 32], nonce: &[u8; 8]) -> crate::secret::Secret<16, u32> {
-    let mut initial = [0u32; 16];
-    initial[..4].copy_from_slice(&SIGMA);
-    for (word, bytes) in initial[4..12].iter_mut().zip(key.as_chunks::<4>().0) {
-        *word = u32::from_le_bytes(*bytes);
-    }
-    for (word, bytes) in initial[14..].iter_mut().zip(nonce.as_chunks::<4>().0) {
-        *word = u32::from_le_bytes(*bytes);
-    }
-    crate::secret::Secret(initial)
+    let k = |i: usize| u32::from_le_bytes([key[4 * i], key[4 * i + 1], key[4 * i + 2], key[4 * i + 3]]);
+    let n = |i: usize| u32::from_le_bytes([nonce[4 * i], nonce[4 * i + 1], nonce[4 * i + 2], nonce[4 * i + 3]]);
+    crate::secret::Secret([
+        SIGMA[0],
+        SIGMA[1],
+        SIGMA[2],
+        SIGMA[3],
+        k(0),
+        k(1),
+        k(2),
+        k(3),
+        k(4),
+        k(5),
+        k(6),
+        k(7),
+        0,
+        0,
+        n(0),
+        n(1),
+    ])
 }