Practicality.
A compromise.
An acknowledgment of the inherent irrationality and complexity of humanity.
An acknowledgment to the idealistic, simplistic, conceptualized thoughts of humans.
Probable, realistic, feasible efficiency.
Efficient would be if I reduced my morals, my emotional discomfort as just another variables in the equation, just like how I reduce the number of meters I have to travel and the time it would take.
Efficient would be if I climbed over these two-meter walls I have walked around every day for the past decade to receive a massive shortcut. The risk of getting caught and the weight of the punishment can just be another variables in the equation.
But I did not climb over it today, just as I have not for the past decade.
I spend all day thinking about stuff like this, and I will probably spend the rest of my life thinking about stuff like this.
I will probably spend the majority of my life thinking about doing something that I will never get around to doing.
I will probably spend the majority of my life warping the past, redefining the present to my current values, and wasting my energy over thinking about unlikely future scenarios.
And how can I forget? I will probably spend the majority of my life thinking about how I keep thinking about this.
And then… it just happened.
Swiftly, quietly, instantaneously.
Like opening a box to look at a corpse.
A Deus-Ex-Machina?
The mundane urban view that I never bother inspecting, never bother noticing, as I see it in the background every morning while I look at my frivolous thoughts.
It has simply been replaced by a meadow that stretches as far as the eye can see, my autopiloted movement ceases function, and my body starts adapting to the new climate.
A chuckle of relief quietly leaves my body.
"If this is a hallucination I don't think I'll manage to wake up anytime soon, might as well enjoy the most out of it."
My body dropped, and the first proper conscious thought I can form is that this is the greatest camping spot I could ever imagine. There's no trace of human in sight, there's no extravagant out of world view to distract you from yourself, it's just a place that leaves you alone. I am no longer a member of any society or population, there's no deferred prosecution agreement or supply and demand. I am but another animal, a living being.
It is most likely a hallucination, human perception is much more unstable than reality itself. Regardless, we never know what reality really is like. We can only ever view it through our own lens that put warped it.
My train of thoughts was interrupted.
A suffocating presence behind me.
Cautiously turn around, don't incite any reaction.
A towering mammal, imposing shoulders, a facial feature I didn't recognize, dangerous, adrenaline rushed.
Under my breath.
"Heh, the worst part about every camping trip is always the animals isn't it."
Though normally it would be the insects.
Our thought process really has gone docile from being the undisputed apex predator for millenniums.
I don't have much time to think about what to do.
The pose resembles a feline predator waiting for the perfect moment to pounce on their prayer.
I'm not physically ideal, but even if I am, it will not bridge the immense physical gap between that thing and a human.
I don't have any prior knowledge of how to deal with an animal attack. My best bet would be to focus all my energy on surviving the initial pouncing attack and head towards the forest behind the mammal so that there are more variables in the picture instead of a raw physical contest in the meadow.
It likely has a faster reaction time than me. This is a reading game, subtle physical ques and instincts.
Not the most ideal chance of survival, but it's the best plan I can come up with.
And perhaps a second grace of Deux Ex Machina.
Before the mammal has reached its highest velocity.
Staggered.
Limped.
Dropped.
In its shadow, a petite figure unveils. Stepping out into the light revealed tone and developed muscles wherever it's visible.
"You're awfully thin, are you a slave? The pard would not find you a satiable meal."
A woman.
"Wouldn't you normally judge people by their clothing rather than their physique."
"Clothes can be change, the body always stay with you day or night."
Some kind of physique maniac.
"No I'm not a slave."
"A noble then? It is odd to see one not excessively obese."
"No, I'm just a common person, from a different land. We simply have something else to do the physical tasks, so we spend our days training our mind to survive rather than our body."
"Sounds like just a noble in this land."
I guess that is true.
Meeting another person makes me rethink my situation. If it is not a hallucination, what could be the explanation?
Super position? Fluctuating molecules? Different states?
It happened in an instant, before I could notice it.
What if I had gone unobserved, like the Schrödinger cat, and the moment someone opened the box, I ended up in a different state?
These thoughts are frivolous; it's all just speculation. I don't have enough data to work on.
I feel appreciative that I ended up somewhere with not only someone speaking a language I understand but who also seems to share similar values. I guess it might be a miracle to end up somewhere habitable with another carbon-based life form, or so it seems.
"Hey, so why are you here, in the middle of nowhere with no signs of luggage or means of transport?"
I've been asking myself the same questioned.
I guess time to stop day dreaming and focus on survival, I'll say anything that get me what I need.
"… I don't remember, my memories are all blurry, maybe some kind of amnesia or memory loss. I know that sounds really sketchy and you don't have to trust me, but right now I want to focus on not dying to the 'pard' or starvation, do you think you can take me somewhere?"
Skepticism written on her face.
"… You feel like those kind of smartass that can put people's guard down with words"
She caught on.
"You seem to have a keen intuition; I doubt those kinds of people can fool you. Neither can I. As you said, I'm frighteningly thin. While on initial glance one might think our muscle masses are not so different, I can tell yours developed to be as efficient as possible. While it does not possess the raw power that a male can achieve, you prioritized the advantage of agility and flexibility. I doubt I can do anything if I try."
"As I said, smartass that can put people's guard down with words, whatever. Help me skin this thing, and I'll get you settled somewhere. I'm keeping an eye on you, so don't try anything funny."
All that I can mutter is an awkward laugh.