Runaway to the Stars: Page 260
Posted on April 2, 2026 by Jay Eaton

Talita has had this conversation before, but from Verengt's perspective it's going something like this, in human equivalents:

V: So where do you live? 🙂
T: I'm homeless.
V: Huh? Did your family kick you out?
T: I don't have a family, I was raised by wolves.
V: ...Do you want help finding a place to live??
T: No, I'm fine.

Runaway to the Stars is crowdfunding to become a printed book this April! Click here to be notified on launch!

Transcript

Talita: I don’t have a clan.

Verengt's eye widens, mane fluffing out.

Verengt: Exile??

Talita rubs her own shoulder awkwardly.

Talita: No, uh, never had one. I've lived with aliens since I was a baby.

Verengt and their entourage exchange wide eyed, tight-lipped looks, then begin to whisper amongst each other, gesturing and glancing back at Talita. Suddenly, Verengt turns back to address her.

Verengt: We know several large clans looking for new members. If you would like to be introduced–

Talita: –Thanks, but I'm fine with living alone.

Runaway to the Stars: Page 260
Posted on April 2, 2026 by Jay Eaton

Talita has had this conversation before, but from Verengt's perspective it's going something like this, in human equivalents:

V: So where do you live? :)
T: I'm homeless.
V: Huh? Did your family kick you out?
T: I don't have a family, I was raised by wolves.
V: ...Do you want help finding a place to live??
T: No, I'm fine.

Runaway to the Stars is crowdfunding to become a printed book this April! Click here to be notified on launch!

Transcript

Talita: I don’t have a clan.

Verengt's eye widens, mane fluffing out.

Verengt: Exile??

Talita rubs her own shoulder awkwardly.

Talita: No, uh, never had one. I've lived with aliens since I was a baby.

Verengt and their entourage exchange wide eyed, tight-lipped looks, then begin to whisper amongst each other, gesturing and glancing back at Talita. Suddenly, Verengt turns back to address her.

Verengt: We know several large clans looking for new members. If you would like to be introduced–

Talita: –Thanks, but I'm fine with living alone.

194 thoughts on “Runaway to the Stars: Page 260”

  1. Selkra

    Of course Mel didn’t tell them lol

  2. holly...!

    THERE it is! the extreme culture shock we’ve been building up to!

  3. Mallow

    The raised by wolves comparison does make me wonder if centaurs have any mowgli/tarzan -esque cultural stories about an imago surviving without a clan and having to be reintegrated into society. Given the view on culling as the kinder option for an abandoned imago, I wonder if such stories might lean towards tragedy or horror

  4. Bug

    Im guessing this has to do with Talia opening her mouth. Centuars dont use their mouth to breathe or speak, just to eat, and looking back all the natives keep their mouth closed. As such, im thinking that gaping the mouth is a bite/aggression display.

  5. meow

    i feel like while this is an awkward situation for Talita, it could also turn into something she has never experienced before: bonding with other centaurs. so many people are saying the centaurs Have Gotta become less friendly now, but what if they will still try to understand? maybe not even this exact group, but at least a few of the workers might. before this Talita mostly met centaur clans that were passing through, but these ones will be living next to her and working with her, who’s to say they won’t wanna bond with her at all? i dont think it’s fair to imagine them as antagonistic just because they’re having a huge culture shock moment, and im curious what they will do or say next

    the thing i find a lot more uncomfortable is the fact that they didn’t know Talita was a human adoptee before this moment and assumed there were more centaurs in general on Dirtball. Has Mel not explained to them that she’s the only centaur here? did they purposely let them assume they would be working in a place that is housing another clan already? i can assume the answer is yes and that’s honestly what’s bugging me the most abt this interaction, and even then i understand that it could create an unfair bias towards Talita from the start depending on how uncomfortable the idea of an alien-raised centaur would be to the clan

    1. RareBird

      I wonder if Mel didn’t even think to clarify Talita’s situation, because they only talked to the Gwailer about Talita being their supervisor, why would the Gwailer assume there’s more centaurs? To a human whose experience with centaurs is probably just Talita, and who is used to thinking of themself as an individual rather than as part of a specific social group like a clan, the fact that centaurs are part of a clan probably just sits in their mind as something they’ve learned, but is unrelated to anything they’ve had to deal with. Whereas to the Gwailer, why would there only be one centaur here, there’s obviously got to be a clan in residence, but only one was relevant to the job they were hired for and that’s surely why the staff have only talked about the one.

      Even when you are consciously aware that cultural and social norms are very different from what you are used to, it can be hard not to act and react in the ways you’re used to, even when you are actively trying to keep those differences in mind. Mel hasn’t given me much reason to expect them to have that level of social awareness, considering this entire situation right now, so to me it makes a lot of sense that Mel just wouldn’t think about something that’s so outside what their norm is, and outside Talita’s norm as well.

  6. Bartimaeus

    You know how, back in the age of British colonialism, the british would call any Brit who got too close to the local culture “gone native”? With a derogatory slant to it.

    I don’t know if that’s how this is FOR SURE gonna go, but I could see their views of Talita going like that very quickly.

  7. Redacted

    Interesting implication that the Gwailer clan is in contact with other spacer clans. Must be a tight knit community. I wonder where they were before coming to Dirtball?

  8. Hunter

    Well, it’s nice that she’s still going “Okay we can make this work” even if it seems to be more of a “Condescending compassion” kind of “Oh you poor thing”. But now I’m wondering how they’ll react to her behavior being so un-centaur-like.

  9. Muse

    the “verengt’s pov” in the description is so funny, i think it could only be better if there were more emoticons indicating how verengt’s taking her expressions alongside those statements lmaoo
    T: i was raised by wolves. 8(
    T: i’m fine. >8C

  10. Salp

    I like the comparison in the description of how Verengt percieves this exchange… because yeah, I’ve seen that conversation happen also. Not the “raised by wolves” part, but when unhoused people choose to decline shelter options offered, it’s often because what’s being offered is about as misaligned with their needs / limiting of their autonomy as what’s being offered to Talita here. And people have a hard time hearing that! Even if they’re reasonably graceful about it in the moment, it feeds back into their perception that the struggles people face are their own fault… because only unhelpful help has been offered, and that’s been declined.

    I do appreciate that Verengt (and their clan) have been diplomatic and friendly this whole exchange – this type of offer of help is the best reaction they’re equipped to make. They really aren’t the problem in this situation…. But, their reaction from here still might not go down well.

  11. Solidago

    Now may be a good time to mention that Mel is a parent figure that you work for..! Might sound a little more familiar to them. Or maybe, given that Mel didn’t identify Talita that way, it would be weirder. XD

  12. Duke 1337-o

    Well that emotional punji pit was more of a prairie dog burrow. This is definitely gonna be interesting though…

  13. Gar G

    Oh shoot

    But that was unexpectedly nice, offering to help^^

  14. Zoeology

    Really appreciating how half of Verengt’s eye socket makes up part of their scar…it’s such a smooth curve and now that I’ve noticed it it’s a bit unsettling (from a human perspective) how you can imagine a phantom eye in that space. Their design is so so cool and they’re being so courteous but man, Talita had so much stacked against her in reading her way through this conversation

  15. ttt

    can’t help but think of the line from delightlfully un-PC ‘alice’s restaurant’ when the narrator goes:

    “and they alllll moved away from me on the bench there”

    lmaoo poor everybody in this situation. except mel. mel is the one enabling unsafe workplace conditions. mel i hope adam throws a piece of scrap at you.

  16. anon

    This makes me wonder if there’s typically a ceremony when an outside worker is married into a new clan, like marriage ceremonies for us. Or if its just signing some paperwork.

    1. SIGSTKFLT

      I would imagine it’s a classic case of It Depends(tm)

  17. Senri

    HAHAHA AWWWW. Oh dear. I love Verengt. Poor Talita.

  18. Gheesfellow

    “I mean, we also have a knitting club-”
    “No, thanks”
    “……DnD group?”

    1. JoB

      “… annually-in-front-row MMM fan club?”

    2. Trees

      I bet even Centaur clans have difficulty getting everyone in the room at the same time to play D&D.
      ‘What do you mean Vrildin had to work a second shift today? He works here and his boss is the GM!’

    3. Ash

      reel book club?

  19. ilvos01

    it’s interesting that here Talita says “I’ve lived with aliens”. of course it makes sense when talking to other centaurs, but I think it’s the first instance of her grouping herself as a centaur in the context of non-centaurs.
    …I’m not explaining that well.
    If she truly viewed herself as a human, she’d say something to the effect of “I was raised by humans” or “I don’t have a centaur family”. but she said “I’ve lived with aliens”. it’s the first time she’s shown to think of herself as a normal centaur in a weird situation, instead of vice-versa.
    not that I’m complaining! Talita’s unique situation is the central draw of this comic, and I love that she’s not just rejecting her centaur-ness outright, as seen in this comment, but also in her awe of the tusk-blanket. as ever, I cannot wait to see what happens next.

    1. Gershom

      that line hits, to me, like it’s maybe one of the things she learned the hard way, or was coached early to say to other centaurs if this came up. I could very well see a first interaction going WILD and someone eventually being like. hey. here’s some context. try this next time. or figuring it out by accident the hard way over and over.

  20. Nikki

    omggg they just immediately try to bring her into the fold 😭

  21. deathbypixelz

    UH OH!

  22. jade stormcloud

    There is a difference between the transcript and comic. Transcript says “We know several large clans looking for new members.” while comic says “We know several large clans marrying in new workers.”

  23. Vinemaple

    I’m surprised that Verengt didn’t themself before turning away to have a discussion with their entourage. Maybe it’s not a universal, but Clan Gwailer seem fairly fluent in this kind of thing, so it’s a surprise. Rather tactless, at least from a Human perspective.

    Perhaps it’s supposed to be understood that Verengt *did,* but that’s the kind of thing I’ve learned the hard way can’t be assumed as understood, because its omission communicates something in and of itself.

    All in all, it could have gone worse… but I realize we don’t actually know any *details* about the conversations Talita has had with other Centaurs before, just her descriptions to Idrisah and in AMAs. We don’t actually know how this is going relative to her previous experience! At least Verengt is trying to help…

    1. Dilophoraptor

      Assuming it’s still canon there’s an interaction in the Growth Chart book

  24. cypr

    everyone’s collective O_O face…

  25. B

    I love the shocked faces

  26. RabbitstarMan

    TALITA TALITA LOOK OUT THEY’RE WHISPERING LOUDLY ABOUT YOU

  27. Mr. Son

    That translation to human terms reminds me of the PC character from Hatoful Boyfriend. XD
    “Yeah I live in a cave but it’s a nice cave I’m happy there. :3 :3 “

    1. forthebit

      Tap in to your meat-eating caveman roots!

    2. glazeliights

      in her defense, theres not many humans left who /could/ raise her

  28. Marcie

    Probably doesn’t help that ‘marriage’ has a different connotation in human vs centaur spaces. From Talita’a POV, it probably sounds like Verengt is telling her to join a harem!

    1. Thisfox

      Or at the very least marry her rights away.

      1. zaratustra

        well there you go. Talita doesn’t want to marry cause she’s a libertarian.

    2. LizardWizard

      “marriage” is probably more like “an unrelated indvidual joining into a family”. the best comparison I have for centaur’s is Eusocial insects where you have a matriarch(Queen) everyone’s related to and you take care of because you litearly share more genes with her genetically than you do with your “sisters”workers.

      the biggest implication here is that all this time there was a way for Talita to join a clan but due to lack of information between human and centaurs it wasn’t known.

      Foster: We have an Orphan=(unclaimed child) Centaur
      Centaur: oh Orphans=(Deformed/runt/non-vaible) response: we usually kill those

      cruel as it sounds there’s an unfortuant sense to that stance, when your A) are giant bee-horeses, B) produce 6 a batch and thus have 7 members to feed. C) are definetly pre-industrial given the tribal asthetic. it’s not even an unheard of thing in Eskimo Tribes who live in an icey hellscape and barely produce enough food for a family 3.

      1. Skadoosh

        Centaurs rarely adopt kids from outside. The matriarchs have an instinctive aggression response against kids they didn’t birth and even multi-matriarch households have to work around that, and there isn’t exactly a lack of children to go around. (Hence the social acceptability of culling unwanted larvae and freshly metamorphosed imagoes.) They don’t have a state foster system because all their states are just larger clans and clan alliances.
        An orphan isn’t necessarily automatically assumed to be “damaged” in some way. There’s just no one to take them in.

  29. Krasudreal

    At least they can link two and two together “oh, this wolf child of course has no idea what the standards for ‘normal’ society are, because she was never in a ‘normal’ society!”

  30. Felixscout

    This is a good example of what Iain M Banks describes in Excession as an “Out of Context Problem”. The contexts of the two parties are so different they are not really communicating and the difference of the comic page and Verengt’s perspective below that page really show this.

    1. Heather

      Omg yesss. Talita’s reasons for not looking more into Centaur cultures are understandable, but I have to wonder if doing so would give her the tools to “pitch” her situation more effectively to homewold Centaurs.
      Then again, the clanless-by-choice are normally seen as “mad hermits” on the Centaur homeworld (according to the lore doc) so it’s possible there IS no good way to introduce this.

      1. LizardWizard

        yeah I can totally see “Orphan” meaning VERY diffrent things. I can totally imagine centarus with they’re 6 per batch running into deformeties and near-still-borns and thinking of them as “Unclaimed child”.

        if I recall the lore stated Centaurs where more early agricultural(or meat-farming). regardless the “we know tribes you can marry into” does imply that there IS a procedure for a centaur tribe to have taken her in and something getting lost in translation.

        1. Skadoosh

          Worker marriage is for adults who can already take care of themselves, not for young children. It is possible they could have found a clan to take her in as a child, especially once she was older and more of a full person in the eyes of centaur culture, but that would have taken excessive effort so eventually they just gave up and decided to raise talita by themselves. By the time she was old enough for clans to actually be interested in marrying her in/adopting her, she was already culturally human and so distant from her own species that she didn’t want to.

  31. XtraStudios

    I do like how genuinely polite & kind Verengt is trying to be all for a stranger of an entirely different background. Obviously Talita’s problem isn’t that she isn’t apart of a clan, it’s just being a misfit no matter what. But nonetheless, I think Verengt is just trying her best

    1. Mothyards25

      Thats the vibe I got as well. I know its an awkward situation all around, but it felt like Verengt was trying to be nice and include Talita in the best way they knew how.

    2. Adam

      I agree, it seems like to Centaurs, being part of a clan is an assumed and wanted thing. I imagine telling a Centaur you have no clan is like a human telling another human they’re homeless. Did you lose your home? Are you unable to work? And then trying to link them up with housing. And when Talita responds that she doesn’t want a clan, it’s like if a human responded to a housing offer with “no, I prefer being homeless.” Like I don’t think Verengt thinks something is wrong with Talita herself, I think the idea of not wanting a clan just simply does not compute to someone raised in that society.

      1. LizardWizard

        the closest I got for this is Talita is like a feral child except they got raised by aliens and so is complelty coherent and knoweldable in they’re trade even and lacking even the most BASIC of social-normality. they’re complelty alone in a way that just…doesn’t happen .

  32. RareBird

    Both sides are trying to communicate but they’re coming at it with such different backgrounds, and things that might help clarify, or be insightful to ask, just aren’t occurring to either of them.

  33. A Box Of Fox

    Pay looks like a muppet in panel 6.

  34. A Ninny Mouse

    well, its polite of them to offer her opportunities to join a clan at least? might be wise for talita to elaborate a bit more about why shes uninterested, though.

  35. Kayjack

    “and the gang promptly Yikes’ed so hard it transcended cultural boundaries”
    Hopefully that denial of the gesture doesnt come across in a way that hurts their working relations.

    1. LizardWizard

      Imagine running into a sentient R-selection species and how wild parenting that might be.
      R-type: Yup feels good to see my swarm of spawn-locust-swarm flying off to ravage the fields *plucks one out of the air and eats it*
      Human: *looks on in horror*
      R-type: what’s wrong?
      Human: Isn’t that like a person?
      R-type:what? no it’s way too slow a flyer to become a person

  36. Mango The Captain

    Unpositive page, but AMAZING new reaction image

    1. Mango The Captain

      Also just realized they’ve got to whisper extra quiet for Talita not to hear or use another language.

  37. tyrone

    Oh God…that 5´th panel is very first school day all over again!!

  38. Fallingfeather

    Eeesh, the IMMEDIATE change in facial expression among the centaurs. They are… trying… to be cool…

    1. T-Bird

      PLEASE, guys, keep trying to be cool! ;_;

      1. Archieve

        I love the detail that the two encourage members closest to Verenght still have wide eyes in the second last panel.

  39. Cugz Arui

    that transcript brings talitas mothers actions into even more question cuz she basically decided “oh how ever will i raise my daughter in a culture that practices infanticide. hmm… maybe those strangely clever monkeys can take care of her. yea. thats a good idea”

    1. blythe

      eh its assumed she was trafficked, i doubt a mother centaur would just hand over one baby, let alone an imago

    2. CameoAppearance

      I’ve been wondering if baby Talita might have been the only survivor of something that wiped out her bio-family and been originally found by non-centaurs who weren’t equipped to raise her. Botched trafficking operation’s definitely also a possibility though.

  40. Green Heron

    This won’t end well.

    On another note, I feel like commenters advising Talita to say this or that about herself (identify as an anarchist, say Mel’s her matriarch, etc) are overestimating her familiarity with Centaur cultures. Especially with her level of avoidance.

    1. May

      I understand that Talita doesn’t know much about her culture, and if I could hypothetically give her advice I would not say “You should claim to be a member of a subculture (Anarchist) that I only know about because I read a single paragraph describing it in a publication intended for human readers”. I just have an urge to brainstorm whenever I see problems, and thought I would weigh in on an existing conversation.

      1. Green Heron

        That’s completely fair.

    2. MutableAlias

      that, and it’s inaccurate. A matriarch is a specific social role with specific expectations, and is not a direct equivalent to a human parent or caregiver. Mel is not the leader of a legally distinct group of people that includes their children, a group of partners that help look after their offspring, and other people who work under them. Even as her former foster parent, Mel isn’t in charge of Talita like that, and Mel isn’t expected to have an entourage and give birth to the clan’s workers.
      The clan structure and its roles are something unique to centaur society, and neither Mel nor Talita are a part of centaur society.

  41. Ruby

    An observation I’m making (that isn’t new really) is that, for centaurs, housing is much less of a priority than a family unit. Makes prefect sense considering that many (particularly space faring ones) are nomads. For a centaur a household is a clan, not a fixed residence. Which is kinda the opposite for many humans (especially those bound to their labour).

    For us having a roof over our head is an essential on par with food. We can form a community or even a family later on if those needs are met. But for many centaurs a house is just a shell, especially without a clan.

  42. Oceanblue

    Just the brilliance of having alien species with truly alien expressions but the MC was raised by humans so us readers can understand her but also get the hard sci-fi experience.
    Not to mention the ANGST potential. There’s something universal about putting your fav characters in a blender.

  43. Asternautilus

    im so glad i was wrong but im also so sad that this is going down exactly how Talita explained these interactions go to Idrisah… Starts well enough, they ask for her clan, and it all starts going south bit by bit.

    Poor gal..

  44. TeethBurglar

    The fact Jachipt was very quick to go back to neutral/relaxed eyelids shows just how nonchalant they are. Straight up aura maxing.

    1. HAL9000

      truly the chill guy that lowkey doesnt give a fuck

    2. Ohanapecosh

      Jachipt: WHAT- oh wait that would definitely explain the god-awful vibes I was picking up on. I KNEW there was something off about this weirdo!

    3. Kencf0618

      Keep your eye on Jachipt’s white iris. Talita has white irises. Verengt has one eye. I suspect foreshadowing.

  45. Eux

    waugh…love seeing all the expressions here. but. goddamn. wow

    1. AccordYeen

      the expressions are great, yeah. everyone has Talita’s eyes now.

  46. LeBonk

    Well that’s about as straightforward as that could’ve gone.
    Though, one thing missing from that “something like this, in human equivalents” is that both of them are already speaking the wolf language and are working for a wolf boss in a place mainly populated by wolves and birds

    1. Thelordruler

      I think the analogy of being raised by wolves is meant to convey how other Centaurs would interpret Talita’s statement. To the native centaurs, a centaur being raised outside of a clan by non centaurs is really wierd, and they would be lacking in “proper” socialization. A clan is a foundational unit of Centaur society, of what it means to be a centaur. It would be as strange for for them as it would be for us if another human was raised by wolves, even if in that situation we are also employed by wolves.

      1. LeBonk

        Yes, I understand what the point of the analogy is, and I understand the RTTS side of it. My point is that the actual-world side is missing some very important details which cause the analogy to fall apart. These centaurs have already done a substantial amount of work to integrate into RTTS!human culture in a way that actualworld!humans are not currently able to do for wolf culture, and the relationships of power between wolves and actualworld!humans is vastly different.

  47. rain

    i appreciate that this is their way of being sweet to Talita at least <:)

    1. boxesofboxes

      Right? Instantly trying to help, honestly so sweet.

  48. meatballmenu

    Talita may want to explain that it would be harder to adjust to her own species after living with the wolves the entirety of her known life, than to keep surviving in wolf spaces.

  49. kaittzie

    I adore the wife open trunk lips. Centaur equivalent of a jaw drop.

    1. Fallingfeather

      It really changes how you read their facial expressions! Talita keeps her trunk pointed at herself most of the time, so I read her eating-mouth for facial expressions. With these centaurs, that doesn’t seem to matter as much and you end up looking at the end of the trunk more. It’s very interesting!

  50. Bisonchimes

    Jachipt isn’t bored anymore!

    1. Nikki

      lol

  51. Arcstone

    Reading jays post all I can think is “mowglis first conversation with the village girl”. 😆

    1. Athelind Llewellyn Long

      🎯

  52. un_pogaz

    Things are going pretty well so far. Surprise, compassion, and empathy are the dominant emotions right now. Maybe a bit awkward, but nothing negative.

    Else, it’s clear that Mel did nothing to prepare for this meeting.
    Since how their are bad to their job, I wonder if this isn’t a blessing in disguise because their could have described Talita’s situation even worse.

  53. Kencf0618

    “An unusual case.”

  54. Coyote

    That’s honestly really sweet of verengt but I hope they understand that talita doesn’t want to join a clan

  55. AnormalADN

    look who has “wide eyes” now
    (translation: very fun to see alien expressions as always)

  56. Adrienne

    MEL YOU DID TALITA SO DIRTY

    1. Archieve

      Also Verengnt who accepted a job without being warned she would have the extra responsibility for a lone Centaur. Even if Talita refuses help its still uncomfortable from the clans perspective probably. Hope she calls Mel out on it eventually.

      1. Fallingfeather

        I imagine this also raises some reasonable questions about Talita’s competence to Verengt too. Not to say that Talita is INCOMPETENT, but if Verengt was given this job while being told there would be a centaur supervisor- with the implication that that would be someone who would generally understand their culture, mannerisms, body language, etc.- and NOW they’re finding out that no, Talita’s just kind of a big human… I’d also be feeling a little bit sketched out at placing the burden of my family’s safety on her.

        1. Jefffy

          Saaame. In all this, the fault is still quite solidly placed on Mel for the lack of proper explanation and preparation for BOTH sides of this current centaur conversation. Mel remains the lynchpin that just can’t stop bungling emotional and professional matters.

  57. Jackie

    Oh so they don’t intend to abduct her but they know clans that might xD (This is related to a previous reply from Jay for context and is not serious).
    I love the expressions lol. Even we who are less familiar with typical centaur expressions can tell what those looks mean.

    Is there anything stopping Talita from identifying as like a sole matriarch in these situations? Would that even help or be just as strange to other centaurs? Or is producing children a requirement for that? Heck while I’m on that question is there a way she could present herself that would be least alarming to typical centaurs?

    1. May

      I think that claiming to be a matriarch when you have no one who recognizes you as “their matriarch” might make her appear more insane, like she has delusions of grandeur. It would likely be better to claim she is an anarchist. It expresses that she has been heavily influenced by alien culture and wants to be independent.

      “Anarchist movements are growing in popularity among young urban centaurs who were born post-contact, many of whom feel simultaneously stifled by traditional clan structure and manipulated by alien agendas. Anarchist centaurs often attempt to form non-hierarchical groups or become self-sufficient individuals.”

    2. Jay Eaton

      A matriarch is defined by their relationship to others. This would be like claiming to be a wife and mother as an unmarried person who has never had a child. It’s simply untrue.

      Also, claiming to be a matriarch or loudly aspiring to be one as a clanless centaur would actually make Talita come across as more dangerous. To a matriarch that reads as “oh, so I can’t trust you around my male children and entourage, because you are desperate to attain a pregnancy and subordinates.” It brings to mind roaming groups of bandit females who will abduct and/or rape male centaurs from other clans.

      1. Jackie

        Oof so ‘aspiring matriarch’ reads more like those ‘alpha male’ incel dudes online? At best?Delusional. At worst? Dangerous.
        Is that better or worse then V assuming exile at first? Though I imagine whatever crimes may result in exile could overlap with being/ending up as a bandit so maybe it’s equally bad either way. Probably why V looks so alarmed in the first place.

        1. Thelordruler

          Best analogy I can think of for Talita claiming to be a matriarch is “someone who started a new company, and just told the ceo of a company in the same industry that they are looking for experienced employees.” It implies a potential rival looking to poach experienced subordinates.

        2. Adrienne

          Considering the “human equivalent” dialogue, I’m going to assume the situation is also along the lines of asking someone “What is your family like?” and their response being “I don’t have a family.” It would be a little awkward, a little uncomfortable, and a little shocking

        3. Jackie

          The more I look at this the more I hate that I used that comparison 🫠 it was the first one that came to mind but bleeeehhh.

          Im mostly just pondering what is the most truthful but least off-putting way for Talita to describe herself in these situations. Brain goes on tangents and I spend like 20 minutes trying to craft the perfect comment but it always ends up weird

    3. Kencf0618

      She could identify as a freemartin, or simply a celibate outlier. Her cultural circumstances are unique even if her biology is not.

  58. asjklfhdghjfk

    i feel so bad for every character involved here but this page made me burst out laughing T0T nooo

  59. Zidane

    panel 4 feels like if you inserted that vine boom sfx over it it wouldnt be out of place at all

    1. Zidane

      also, random thought, this page made me notice that Yaunda, Pay and Verengt all share the same diamond shaped marking on their trunks, maybe its a common nightchaser trait

      1. Talita Fangirl :)

        Have you seen maulu? He is a nightchaser character that jay made for a short story idea. He has a marking between his eyes that also looks diamond shaped

        1. Zidane

          I’ve seen him but i didn’t make that connection, thats awesome

    2. Lezzlebit

      i made this and its so cringe but i have to share it https://youtu.be/f0kikPr1dNo

      1. Zidane

        actually made me bust out laughing oh my god LOL

  60. gigithebear

    awww verengt :C they’re so concerned, they’re so sweet

    1. Jason Myers

      Sorry but this is the social equivalent of asking ‘you’re not married? Well we can definitely get you hitched, THEN we can take you seriously-‘

      1. eef

        I feel it’s more like “you don’t have a family/support system/place to stay, here are some options” lol

  61. Jason Myers

    Also seeing them all take on the muppet horror expression that Talita frequently has is like. Really nailing in how weird her expressions are for a centaur face!!

  62. Jason Myers

    Awww, look at how nice they’re being, worrying for her wellbeing and literally assuming she has no personal autonomy!

    1. Zidane

      I think thats a bit of a harsh assumption, they’re obviously presuming she would want to fit into a centaur social structure but based on the page description from their perspective it would probably be more insensitive to not at least offer. I’ll eat my words if they turn out to be really insistent or treat her rudely for rejecting said offer but we’ll have to wait and see

      1. Adrienne

        For real though. If I found out my new supervisor lived on the street (apparently a human equivalent to not having a clan), there’s no way I wouldn’t at least ask them “Are you okay??”

        1. Jason Myers

          You know fam, I don’t expect everyone to read thru Jay’s blog and learn every detail about the world of Centaurs in rtts, but the social structures there that assume people need to be in clans like this are not perfect, and we have other characters point out that there are /issues/ with this point of view on clanless adults!!! Let’s pick apart the problems of this fictional alien culture, ay? Sounds like they don’t respect people on an individual level, and only respect their autonomy based on their status as somebody that has to be /married into a clan/. Seems they become unnecessarily patronizing, just like what we’re seeing, when they encounter anything different from the norm. /This is a fun problem in fiction with real world allegories/.

        2. Jason Myers

          Like socially, the problem is that they see a clanless adult and assume they’re straight up /exiled/. That’s word that has serious consequences and implications surrounding it regardless of culture!!! Like they literally asked her no tact /’bitch u were kicked out of ur clan??’/ Which personally, I would consider really rude! People are attacking Talita for being rude but if somebody came up to me peachy and happy as can be on my own and started off going ‘are you /homeless?/ are you /sick?/ and now that we’ve confirmed you’re not actually divorced, we could shove you into a bonded community of strangers- that’ll help you!’ I WOULD START THROWING HANDS. It gives a level of presumption that is /honestly really fucking insensitive/ on the centaur’s parts, and everyone here keeps giving them the benefit of the doubt even though we know this as part of the major inciting incident that leads TO *slaps title*.

      2. Jason Myers

        Fam idk how to say this but they’re genuinely assuming that she needs to be in a clan to feel like she’s a person. Idk why people start acting like I’m attacking real people when I start being critical of fictional alien cultures, that’s what the fictional alien cultures are there for, we’re not going to offend any real centaurs.

        1. austroraptor

          can people stop treating any character that causes talita even the slightest amount of inconvenience or discomfort like the fucking devil lol. I genuinely don’t understand how you could possibly construct such an insanely bad faith reading of what this clan is currently doing here.

        2. Adrienne

          Lol

        3. Bunn

          You have put a lot of words and thoughts into these Centaur’s mouths (trunks but you know what I mean) that aren’t actually there. If you *do* read things that Jay has said outside of the comic itself, you would understand that your take is not what is likely happening here. From their perspective, Talita has looked absolutely terrified here, and it’s extremely logical for their first thought after finding out she’s never had a clan to be that being alone for so long is why she’s so stressed out. There has been nothing to indicate that they dont “feel like she’s a person” without a clan. They’re offering to find her one because they *do* think she’s a person, and if you find out another person is your equivalent of homeless, and you know people who could take them in, it’s the right thing to do to offer to help.
          I imagine what happens from here will give us a better understanding of where they’re coming from, but based on the spirit of the rest of the story, I’d be willing to bet this is more well-meaning miscommunication.

        4. Skadoosh

          From their perspective, the thought of living without a clan and and all alone among aliens would be terrifying. Sure, it might be a bit tactless to project their personal experience onto somebody else, but Talita is probably the first time they encountered a lone centaur who was raised by a completely alien culture, so they just default to what they would do if they encountered a “normal” lone centaur who lost their clan and didn’t know how to find a new one.

        5. Skadoosh

          Why wouldn’t Verengt ask whether Talita has been exiled? Clanless centaurs are unusual. If you were planning to entrust the safety of your children to someone, wouldn’t you want to be sure that person could be trusted and didn’t commit some heinous act that got them disowned and kicked out of the house, or was just generally unable to function around other people?

        6. Jason Myers

          Damn a lot of people replied without reading my actual comments and it shows.

  63. HAL9000

    how would you even manage this. how do you respond to “the boss was raised by wolves btw”. what?? do they howl?? will your boss start growling at you to tell you things?? are you supposed to bark back at them?? the gwailers are gonna be doing a hell of a lot more of group meetings later on.
    also sucks for talita ofc but we all know that

  64. blythe

    HELP HAHA not the immediate turning to gossip right in front of the subject

    i guess its kinda well meaning but. gwailers please. tact fjgbdjfhjs

    1. c Senaru

      They weren’t gossiping though? They were discussing amongst themselves what the best course of action was, following an incredibly alarming revelation about Talita, probably along the lines of turning to your friends and asking if anyone knows someone who can help a homeless person in what appears to be need, and then offering to introduce her to a clan that might be willing to marry her into the worker pool, which would be, I believe if I’m reading this all correct, about on par with saying ‘Some friends of mine may have a place you can live, so you don’t have to be homeless’. Based on the page commentary of this being about equal to finding someone living in the woods raised by wolves, it would be weirder not to offer some kind of help. There’s also the other side of the coin here where they likely were also reacting to this sudden information in a ‘Wow we were NOT informed of this situation beforehand, what should we do?’ This is a very reasonable reaction- They’re not gossiping / being rude, they’ve just got information that might have radically changed how they feel about being here and needed to discuss it quickly, on top of also trying to come up with a place she can have a home.

      1. Jason Myers

        Personally, I think this comment actually nails on the head why I find people giving Verengt the benefit of the doubt so annoying: ‘raised by wolves’. We’ve had historical incidents of not necessarily provable /wolf/ children, but absolutely wild children- kids that lived in the wild for enough of their young developing lives (basically, lost toddlers) that they never developed language skills. Almost universally, trying to take these wild children in has directly lead to their suffering- or deaths.
        Also, I think the comparison of ‘homelessness’ gets taken too literally for centaur clan structures- just because centaurs see clanless as homeless, /doesn’t mean Talita doesn’t literally have a home/. I think that’s the major social disconnect that gets discussed for even homeworld centaurs: basically, you’re screwed if you’re alone, and the system doesn’t care to adjust to allow for clanless individuals. That sucks!! And leads to bullshit like this, which at best sounds patronizing to a human ear. After all, Talita is more like us than she is like centaurs!!!

        1. Skadoosh

          You know what I find really annoying? When you earnestly try to help someone and somebody else treats it as malice.

        2. Jason Myers

          You know what I hate? Being an adult and totally fine and having some rando come by and go ‘you poor thing, I’m so sorry you’re homeless, I’m going to assume you need help instead of asking you if you’re happy with your life’. Transients don’t like being helped like this, first off, you can’t just force somebody into a house if they don’t want it, but that’s fucking besides the point: TALITA. IS NOT. HOMELESS. AND THEY JUST ASSUMED SHE WAS OUT OF NOWHERE AND DECIDED TO LEND HELP WITHOUT /ASKING IF SHE NEEDED IT FIRST/. That’s a lot of refusal of respect towards autonomy there, but people are really up here trying to go ‘but I’d like it if a human came up to me and assumed my social status’. Try being a woman and growing up when you were told you weren’t whole unless you had a husband- I had to transition to escape those comments.

        3. Jason Myers

          Like fam I’m sorry to tell you this but if you helping people makes THEM feel bad, then YOU are the problem and need to find better and more tactful ways to help your community. I’m being very real rn, the way you talk about ‘helping’ people sounds like you’re expecting them to kowtow to you after you’ve helped them, and probably have been brushed off (angrily) when people who don’t need or want your help felt intruded upon. Help cannot be given if you expect them to thank you for it, and this shit that Verengt is pulling is still condesdending- Talita does not need nor did she ASK for help! I cannot believe people keep missing this! Offering help like this /isn’t/ helpful!!!!

    2. Vinemaple

      Maybe not exactly gossip, but I would have assumed that excusing oneself before turning away to whisper with one’s companions would be a fairly universal courtesy… Tact, indeed.

      1. Jason Myers

        Ngl considering how they just straight up asked Talita first ‘so you were exiled????’ tact may not be the Gwailer clan’s strongsuit.

  65. topaz

    Can you imagine telling that to your workers/children? How do you finish that conversation?
    V: “Hey so your new boss was raised by wolves? Don’t question it.”
    At least Jachipt went back to neutral eyes rather than surprise like the rest of the entourage.

    1. Archieve

      A possible positive spin would be ‘Centaur with deep exposure to human culture has permenatly adapted their mannerisms and way of life to help make a positive first impression with humans unfamiliar/uncomfortable with Centaurs’ but that angle should have been worked out in advance,… wasnt one of Ohwitiils responsibilities diplomacy? if I’m remembering that right, they might have dropped the ball along with Mel here.

      1. Enai

        Ohwitiil negotiates with the byers, so I think they’re basically Ixion’s sales department. I think they wouldn’t do personnell stuff, now that payroll is Cheevwut’s department.
        .
        Also, their, ehm, volatile temperament is not exactly a factor that would convince prospective workers to contract with the company…
        .
        Given that they showed the centaurs around I’m guessing that recruiting is Mel’s job.

        1. Archieve

          Now I want to see exactly how they negotiate with buyers without the other paryhhanging up.

        2. JoB

          > Now I want to see exactly how they negotiate with buyers without the other paryhhanging up.

          Leave the microphone three doors down the corridor, for starters.

        3. varve

          > Now I want to see exactly how they negotiate with buyers without the other paryhhanging up.

          LOL didn’t Ohwitiil screw up some purchase contract(s) and Cheevwut commented it would be funny if they didn’t have to clean it up?
          …yup.
          https://www.runawaytothestars.com/comic/rtts-page-128/

  66. krisiverse

    Oh dear. I wonder if it would go any better if she’d said Mel was her matriarch…? It’s close to the truth, but definitely still out of the ordinary.

    1. Archieve

      Mel seems to scurry away when the meer possibility of needing to provide meaningful support shows up. I agree as weird as calling Mel Talitas “matriach” would be perceived it would have been better then nothing and provided some context as to why Talita doesn’t feel pressured to enter a clan. Unfortunately, the risk is high of her been seen as an essetric hermit now without further context.

    2. T-Bird

      I don’t know, I feel like trying to map a matriarch/worker relationship as centaurs understand it onto Mel and Talita would just invite more cultural misunderstandings.

      1. Archieve

        It’s a poor comparison to be sure but possibly would show Talita has some socialization/support as opposed to the mentally ill hermit stereotype Centaur culture seems to associate with Centaurs who chose to remain clanless.

    3. Thomas Steven slater

      Maybe Douglas is closer to that.

  67. gñfs

    the council will decide your fate

  68. YAY

    I LOVE YOU TALITA

  69. halley

    LMAOOO

  70. hessian

    the centaur polycule is perplexed

  71. Claire

    Well. Good to know humans and centaurs share “Wide-eyed shock” as an expression.

    1. aves

      It’s actually pretty funny, Talita almost always has her eyes waaaaay more open than typical for centaurs, so Jay’s drawn human expression equivalents for her compared to centaur body language and she looks kinda perpetually shocked and/or angry (since her smile bares her teeth).

      1. cain

        Hence Verengt calling her “you, with the wide eyes” in their initial greeting. It’s very distinct.

        1. Kencf0618

          I took it as a reference to her glasses.

  72. Lilac

    It does make sense they’re *THAT* suprised but it is still mildly startling to see them that way after all these pages of them looking and acting so calm and composed… anyway Mel did you do literally any research at all Mel. Grabbing them and shaking them by the shoulders. Mel did you do ANY research

  73. Tentament

    I wonder if we should read anything into Talita saying she lived with “aliens” instead of “humans”

    1. Joey

      She’s probably just trying to put things in their perspective. I wonder if a bug ferret fostered centaur would fit better since the families could almost be seen as clan like, though they lack the clear hierarchy. Though logistically adapting bug ferret spaces would be even worse then humsn ones I imagine.

      1. A Box Of Fox

        Imagine, if you will, a Centaur attempting to scuttle along a tube.

        1. Thisfox

          While I agree an adult centaur would have no hope of living in their tight little habitats, Baby Talita (Hunter of Bugs) would have LOVED that I’m sure. Then outgrown the tubes and had all sorts of wrong happening because of it.

        2. Trees

          I am imagining it and I thank you for it.

        3. Pocoloco

          I’m imagining a little bug ferret school with little bug ferret sized desks and a significantly larger Talita squeezed into a desk, a la the Elf movie.

        4. JoB

          > I’m imagining a little bug ferret school with little bug ferret sized
          > desks and a significantly larger Talita squeezed into a desk

          Judging from the artwork of young Talita in AMA 2 (and 3) and of the twins on page 15, chances are that a centaur would start(!) visiting school smaller than their BF schoolmates …

    2. Claire

      Not really- I think its as much an accuracy thing as anything, given her proximity to Avians, Bug Ferrets, Humans, but NOT centaurs.

  74. Kaffee

    This conversation is turning real sharply real quickly o~o. Talita veing raised vy aliens was one thing, vut according to the page on Centaurs, “Those who stay intentionally clanless are considered to be mad hermits.” I hope that Verengt still wouldn’t react harshly or something, vut internally they definitely are going to lose some respect for Talita after this.

    1. Ellindsey

      “I won’t trust my children to the care of a clanless centaur” is a definite way this could go badly. And of course, Mel would blame Talita for it all falling apart.

      1. Kaffee

        I’m in awe that Mel spent weeks to months planning this out, taking into account the room designs, their food, etc, vut never thought to do any research into Centaur culture? Like surely if they did even a singular google search, the Clan System would ve like the first thing they’d find? Heck, I think the ease with which they could prolly find that information lends credence to the idea that Mel is aware vut just thought “Oh she could even join a clan too! :D” Which would make Mel leaving her alone with them even worse (o n 0)

        1. Archieve

          Unfortunately, that’s probably how Mel thinks, “oh Centaurs are like bug ferrets, I’ll hire more Centaurs who will either take her in or get Talita connections! just like job networking!! aren’t I a great boss?!”

        2. A Box Of Fox

          Is your B key broken, or do you have a typing quirk like a Homestuck troll?

        3. Jason Myers

          Pls fix your ‘b’ key…

      2. Phasma Felis

        I’m not sure Mel would *blame* Talita. I feel like Mel never blames anyone for anything, even things they very definitely *should* be blamed for.

        1. Archieve

          In a QnA the character Mel blamed Talitas struggles as a manager on her not being confident enough. My read is Mel avoids blame wherever the conclusion could lead back to them being at fault in some way, such as admitting they made a hiring mistake.

        2. Bramble

          I’m afraid that Mel is going to be *disappointed* in Talita, which might be worse – it might be easier for her to find the confidence and self-respect to argue back if Mel blames her rather than letting them steamroll her again…

  75. Ellindsey

    So on the plus side, Mel apparently hadn’t set this whole thing up as an arranged marriage. That’s something in their favor at least.

    But they still didn’t explain like, any, of Talita’s situation to the centaur temps before introducing them.

    I hope that Verengt can continue to be cool about this, but I fear this conversation has taken a turn for the worse.

    1. Archieve

      Even if humans are metaphorical wolves I think it might have made Talita look slighly less strange if Mel were there to show she had atleast a “friendly wolf” with some influence for a support network.

  76. Joey

    Not that any of this is Talita’s fault, but maybe it would go down more smoothly if she specified she’s fine living with humans, rather then alone. If they understsnd sure she’s clanless, but she does have a substitute social structure maybe it would be an easier pill to swallow then oh this centaur is like anti-social or something. Glad the bandaid got ripped off time to see how this goes. I think they are mire likely to give her the cokd shoulder then be outright abusive, though based on this reaction I could see the matriarch refusing to entrust their children to the weird clanless anti-social centaur. Considering how lonely dirtball already is, it wouldn’t take much further social isolation to push Talita to leave I think. Especially with all 3 of her close friends about to leave, and Mel as the only remaining very disatisfying social contact. Well Mel and some aquantinces.

    1. Claire

      Honestly, I think its reflective of how Talita feels. She feels alone. And… she’s mostly ok with that.
      …Mostly.

      1. Archieve

        Less fine with being alone, I’d say more avoident of individuals who she associates as anxiety triggering. She is able to form friend group in school and work settings given time though.

  77. MonstieMunchies

    I’m so glad concern is their response instead of suspicion or anger. Poor Talita, though, EVERYONE inevitably sees her as a problem to be fixed….

  78. hurgaburga

    oof… the first of several awkward culture shocks…
    but also new reaction image found 😀 (the 4th pannel with verengt and her entourage looking all shocked and concerned)

  79. Ruby

    The sheer SHOCK in their faces! I didn’t need the guide to interpret that one 😂

  80. Tentament

    omg I love their expressions in panel 4

  81. napin

    the human equivalents at the bottom xDDD oh Talita

  82. Mogo

    Oooohhhhh they’re trying to rescue her, that’s so nice of them but…..oogh they have zero way of knowing how hurtful this actually is for poor Talita :'(

    1. Archieve

      This remains 100% Mels fault for failing to acknowledge or account for the inevitable cultural divide issues.

  83. Alternate

    OH BOY. I mean. They’re. Being nice about it. But it’s still a… a thing to them. A problem. Look how wide their eyes are now! Hooo… I’m so sorry Talita girl, it’s gonna be okay, I PROMMY. YOU GONNA RUNAWAY ITLL BE FINE.
    Comparing humans to wolves though, not bad, highly social predators, and dogs and humans bond so well. hfshdf.
    Damn is that ‘equivalent conversation’ wild though. Here’s hoping Verengt can make a COMEBACK and still be chill about all this, surprise notwithstanding.

  84. Accursed Dirt Boar

    Ohhh noooo they are doing the team huddle while loudly whipering in front of talita
    it may be over chat

    1. hurgaburga

      it’s been like 30 seconds but yes

    2. Archieve

      Can only imagine what’s being said in their native language, I doubt it was purely a list of prospective clan names.

      1. Morbidipea

        I presume it’s something like “raised by ALIENS?” “a baby is a human imago, right?” “Explains the body language” “they’re SO SCARED they NEED a clan” “we don’t have space in ours” “okay, what about cyz?”

        1. T-Bird

          I really want this to be true and I will adopt it as my headcanon until it’s specified to have been otherwise

        2. Emu

          I think Imago refers to the entire lifestage after pupation, not just when they’re still babies?

        3. cinna

          Oh! I get what you mean, but as an aside: I believe a centaur of any post-pupal age would be an imago, because “imago” refers to the final stage of metamorphosis (ie. larva -> pupa -> imago). For our Earthly insects, it’s generally equivalent to “adult” since they’re usually done developing at that point, but centaurs still have more growing to do after they’re done pupating.

          Just wanted to clarify a detail that I think could be easily misinterpreted. For some reason, primary school lessons about insect lifecycles usually stop short of explaining the term lol

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