The X-men run missions and work together with the NYPD, striving to maintain a peaceful balance between humans and mutants. When it comes to a fight, they won't back down from protecting those who need their help.
Haven presents itself as a humanitarian organization for activists, leaders, and high society, yet mutants are the secret leaders working to protect and serve their kind. Behind the scenes they bring their goals into reality.
From the time when mutants became known to the world, SUPER was founded as a black-ops division of the CIA in an attempt to classify, observe, and learn more about this new and rising threat.
The Syndicate works to help bring mutantkind to the forefront of the world. They work from the shadows, a beacon of hope for mutants, but a bane to mankind. With their guiding hand, humanity will finally find extinction.
Since the existence of mutants was first revealed in the nineties, the world has become a changed place. Whether they're genetic misfits or the next stage in humanity's evolution, there's no denying their growing numbers, especially in hubs like New York City. The NYPD has a division devoted to mutant related crimes. Super-powered vigilantes help to maintain the peace. Those who style themselves as Homo Superior work to tear society apart for rebuilding in their own image.
MRO is an intermediate to advanced writing level original character, original plot X-Men RPG. We've been open and active since October of 2005. You can play as a mutant, human, or Adapted— one of the rare humans who nullify mutant powers by their very existence. Goodies, baddies, and neutrals are all welcome.
Short Term Plots:Are They Coming for You?
There have been whispers on the streets lately of a boogeyman... mutant and humans, young and old, all have been targets of trafficking.
The Fountain of Youth
A chemical serum has been released that's shaving a few years off of the population. In some cases, found to be temporary, and in others...?
MRO MOVES WITH CURRENT TIME: What month and year it is now in real life, it's the same for MRO, too.
Fuegogrande: "Fuegogrande" player of The Ranger, Ion, Rhia, and Null
Neopolitan: "Aly" player of Rebecca Grey, Stephanie Graves, Marisol Cervantes, Vanessa Bookman, Chrysanthemum Van Hart, Sabine Sang, Eupraxia
Ongoing Plots
Magic and Mystics
After the events of the 2020 Harvest Moon and the following Winter Solstice, magic has started manifesting in the MROvere! With the efforts of the Welldrinker Cult, people are being converted into Mystics, a species of people genetically disposed to be great conduits for magical energy.
The Pharoah Dynasty
An ancient sorceress is on a quest to bring her long-lost warrior-king to the modern era in a bid for global domination. Can the heroes of the modern world stop her before all is lost?
Are They Coming for You?
There have been whispers on the streets lately of a boogeyman... mutant and humans, young and old, all have been targets of trafficking.
Adapteds
What if the human race began to adapt to the mutant threat? What if the human race changed ever so subtly... without the x-gene.
Atlanteans
The lost city of Atlantis has been found! Refugees from this undersea mutant dystopia have started to filter in to New York as citizens and businessfolk. You may make one as a player character of run into one on the street.
Got a plot in mind?
MRO plots are player-created the Mods facilitate and organize the big ones, but we get the ideas from you. Do you have a plot in mind, and want to know whether it needs Mod approval? Check out our plot guidelines.
Posted by Manticore on Apr 2, 2017 10:04:46 GMT -6
Delta Mutant
a82c2c
162
12
Apr 5, 2018 10:44:04 GMT -6
Leon had no idea what Ostroja meant, but he knew the tone. "Yeah, I DON'T know anything, I'm just the guy who poison's everything he touches." he retorted, knowing full well that he didn't understand anything about a need to hunt. He was too busy trying not to kill anyone just from him existing. He was quick to concede any argument on the fact that he was a monster, reluctant or not, and that he would always be a danger to anyone who even walked around him. Yeah, he couldn't talk about wanting not to hurt people, since that was all he ever did.
He retreated back into his own space, he was not social at the best of times, his only defense was ever retreat, wither from a physical confrontation or a verbal one. He had no illusion that he was a good person, let alone an example as Rico had put it. He had long given up any hope, and maybe Rico had a point in a way, it would be better if a bullet found him rather than any of the other students. I was not like he was doing any good here, he was no better then the hunters, putting everyone in danger.
His line of thinking was broken by the sound of a human body tearing itself apart. He stepped back and watched, unable to help himself, it wasn't something you commonly saw. When it was complete, he half expected Rico to turn and bite him in half. Instead he just told him to stay here. He wondered if he should follow him anyway. Not that he wanted to hurt anyone, but he guessed he could maybe watch Rico and make sure he didn't get hurt.
Leon stopped as the bed made an unexpected noice, apparently all on it's own. Quickly he washed the bold and venom from his hands and turned the sink off, then looked out to the room. He generally never thought to use his enhanced sense of smell, it wasn't an instinctual process for him, but he had had a few reminders from other encounters with people here that had brought it up. He sniffed, thought all he picked up was the usual smells of his room. Still, something had made a noise, and he remembered where he was. A new paranoia was starting to fill him, was someone in here? He had thought this would be the one place he wouldn't have to worry about someone coming in unannounced. Now he wasn't so sure, and his eyes darted frantically about, looking for signs of disturbances. Combing through the carpets for quills had left him with an eye for the minute details of his room. His eyes fell first to the bed, where the noise had come from. At first glance it looked undisturbed except a few wrinkles. Except Leon had never user it, he looked at the irregularities and saw they converged around a single spot, like someone had pressed onto it, and he knew it wasn't him. Closer inspection revealed a bright patch, a small area where the dust had been disturbed, and the natural color of the comforter were uncovered. In that shape of a hand.
"Who's there!" he said, his tone a mix of emotion. Anger for someone sneaking it, which he could only assume had been when he had answered the door. Fear that someone was so close without him knowing it. What if they had been poisoned. He couldn't smell anything, but with mutants he may not be able to tell, it could be someone who was able to be completely undetectable, what if they were lying somewhere on the floor screaming in pain, but he couldn't hear it? It was a reach, he knew, but his habit was to imagine the worst possible scenario and fixate on it, and he couldn't help but look for signs of a body. It was then he noticed a depression in the carpet, or rather a pair.
Immediately he reached for his jacket, pulling it on before anything else so whatever happened there would be less chance of his quills ending up somewhere they should not. He then looked at the space "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" he yelled at the spot. He still didn't know who, if anyone was there, but his half roar was likely to scare anyone, especially when it revealed several rows of shark-like teeth. He didn't like scaring people, but he had little other recourse when people people lacked the common sense to stay away from him.
Leon was a bit surprised when Chase described his time on the street. Given his excitable and carefree behavior, imagining him in the same position as Leon seemed impossible. How Chase could so easily smile after that was a mystery to him. Then again, Chase could look however he liked. And he didn't poison people. And maybe a kid was more easily forgiven, not a creature like him. Maybe that was the reason. He wouldn't have found that being what he was.
Leon could barely remember his mother, or his father for that matter. He hadn't thought about them much. It was too painful and depressing, having run away and never looking back, it hurt for many reasons, he hurt them by being what he was, it hurt thinking of the way they looked at him when he first changed, it hurt thinking about how they fought because of him. Chase was lucky he was taken in at a young age, and had people who could deal with his being a mutant. He nodded as he listened, a subtile change in his facial feature may have shown a slight softening towards Chase, though it was unlikely he would admit it if asked.
Posted by Manticore on Mar 29, 2017 18:44:01 GMT -6
Delta Mutant
a82c2c
162
12
Apr 5, 2018 10:44:04 GMT -6
Leon made a small grunt of approval to Jorge. It was something he did appreciate that this was in fact a safer place for him, even if it still didn't mean safe from him. It occurred to him that Jorge was likely another mutant, recalling his abilities comment, but really, who wasn't here? He supposed he should be more curious about that. There were probably a lot of different powers scattered about, he guessed any normal person would have found reason to investigate. Maybe it was just his nature now to not be all that curious anymore.
When Rico and his friends showed up, Leon shows some mild interest. He had already met Rico, so he had some familiarity with him at least. But the crowd with him was more intimidating. Leon didn't like crowds, for obvious reasons. We, perhaps not to anyone who didn't know about his quills, but Rico already knew so he didn't think he would need to say anything about how he felt about it. He watched as the small drama unfolded, but didn't make a move to interfere or go after Rico when he was in mock peril. He was a little surprise he called to him for help of all people. He wouldn't have been able to get involved, not without risking poisoning his friends. Instead he just watched dumbfounded on what Rico expected him to do, though it seemed short lived.
Posted by Manticore on Mar 28, 2017 19:32:28 GMT -6
Delta Mutant
a82c2c
162
12
Apr 5, 2018 10:44:04 GMT -6
There were many things in Leon's room that hinted at his maladjustment to his mutation. Aside from the can of poisonous quills was the bed. It was untouched. A person examining it could probably find dust that had accumulated from lack of use. Leon didn't use it, as he feared his quills getting embedded and lost in the sheets and mattresses, which would no doubt find their way into the backs of whomever used the bed next, or attempted to do laundry. Instead there was a worn spot on the floor, where the carpet had been repeatedly slept on. There were a few snags, where either quills or Leon's claws had gotten caught while he slept, making it visible to anyone who payed attention to such things. There were no personal pictures anywhere, the room seem un used for the most part in terms of personal decore. The closet was empty, Leon had little more then the clothes on his back, and nothing to hint of his former life before he had turned into a beast. However it was clear that Leon made good use of the Mansions kitchen, as there were plenty of remnants of food in the room, mostly in the bin by his bed which had fruit cores and banana peels, as well as cans and wrappers. Leon didn't see the room as a home, or even his. Life on the streets had shown him that nothing belonged to him, thus the room wasn't his to get comfortable in, it was just a place to sleep and seek refuge.
Posted by Manticore on Mar 27, 2017 19:41:56 GMT -6
Delta Mutant
a82c2c
162
12
Apr 5, 2018 10:44:04 GMT -6
Leon heard the gun shot. It startled him a little, it seemed louder given the utter lack of background noise he was used to from the city. He didn't know enough about guns to really tell what kind it was by sound, though he would guess something big and very capable of killing him. He never really liked them since in all likelihood he would one day end up on the other end of one. Still, Rico's comments came as relatively disturbing to him. While he by no means thought poachers were in the right, the thought of hunting them down was something monstrous. Of course he was a monster, but even so, the last thing he wanted to do was go around purposefully trying to hurt people. He had enough guilt on his conscience merely from accidentally poisoning people. He could only imagine how his sanity would crumble if he started hunting people down like an animal.
"I do hope your kidding," he said, not quite able to hide the disgust at the idea in his tone, "The last thing I want to do is go after anyone, even if in jest." He had the feeling Rico hadn't caught on that he was not the spontaneous or adventurous type. He just wanted to get through his life without killing anyone.
Posted by Manticore on Mar 23, 2017 17:03:28 GMT -6
Delta Mutant
a82c2c
162
12
Apr 5, 2018 10:44:04 GMT -6
Leon gritted his teeth as he pulled harder to remove the quills, a bit of blood seeping from the wounds, though it was hard to tell with the blood red fur. Then he heard someone knock on the door, distracting him enough to where his grip faltered. His fingers were thicker and not the best suited for fine dexterity. The quills snapped back and Leon winced from the sting. He didn't know who would be visiting him. Scratch that, it was probably one of the staff members checking in on him. He had been here a while, they would likely want to see how he was doing. He wasn't all that thrilled at the idea, but supposed he couldn't avoid it. He left the quills where they were for now, he would try again after he dealt with this.
He walked over to the door, wondering if he should put his jacket back on. He decided against it, he didn't plan on letting them stay long, and he didn't want to push the spines in deeper. He cracked the door open a little and looked out. He only saw an empty hallway. He opened the door more, confused, until it was all the way open. He stepped out for a moment, looking down the hallway to see if he could see anyone running off. He didn't, and he hadn't heard anything. Weird. He guessed it was some sort of mutant ding dong ditch, and that some students were trying to mess with him.
He went back inside and closed the door, turning his attention back to the quills. If the door knocked again he would just ignore it. He found them again, and tried to grasp them again. By now they had blood on them, making them slightly slick in his grip. He then pulled, feeling it sting again, but pulled harder, wincing and growling. He was used to the worst of this, but it still hurt like hell. Finally there was a release as the quills pulled free, leaving s few nasty looking holes that oozed blood, mixed with a yellowish green fluid from the venom that had seeped in. He put the quills in the soup can and went to the bathroom, using a paper towel soaked with water to squeeze out the remaining venom and blood before cleaning it.
Posted by Manticore on Mar 22, 2017 21:57:41 GMT -6
Delta Mutant
a82c2c
162
12
Apr 5, 2018 10:44:04 GMT -6
Leon listened, but honestly wasn't convinced. He didn't doubt that whatever Rico did caused him pain, mutations were cruel enough to do that. But the talk of controlling and managing his quills was an empty phrase for him. He couldn't stop his quills growing any more then Rico could stop his hair from growing. Rico at least looked normal, and if he was a shape shifter, his powers only affected himself. Leon couldn't be close to anyone without putting them in danger. His venom wasn't something that was temporary, or that he could take a break from. Being what he was now, he would gladly take powers that tore himself apart to become something else every so often then being a poisonous monster 24/7.
However, Leon didn't voice this. He knew it was pointless. Everyone in the mansion seemed to have this thing about accepting what they were. But then most of them had abilities that made them amazing. Few experienced more then a bit of inconvenience it seemed, true some could be dangerous, but it wasn't something that couldn't be worked around in some fashion. For Leon, there wasn't any way to escape. He covered up, but his spines didn't just vanish. They poked through if he got agitated and moved in the wrong fashion. They broke off and became hazards if they weren't collected and disposed of. In the best case scenario they got tangled in his fur and ended up sticking into him. He couldn't relax for a moment when he was around people least he miss one. But he would never be able to convince anyone of how hopeless his case was. He wasn't smart, or charismatic, or even all that likable, the only reason he was invited here was because he was a mutant, not for any talent in his own right.
The smell of the cigarette burned in Leon's nose, irritating it greatly. He hated strong scents. The look on his face would have said it all if he had been looking at Rico at the time. But he simply looked away, "Your fine," he lied, not wanting to ruin the guys night with his own pathetic issues.
Posted by Manticore on Mar 22, 2017 18:44:26 GMT -6
Delta Mutant
a82c2c
162
12
Apr 5, 2018 10:44:04 GMT -6
Leon walked the hall back towards his room. He had never found anything he wanted. He guessed he was just not able to bring himself to enjoy it. There were so many options, but he just couldn't muster the interest. It was pathetic he knew, and should have been easy, just grab a book and go, not hard at all. But he had manage to screw it up again, almost kill someone and probably ruined their day as well. He gave a depressed sigh, before opening his door and walking it, closing it slowly and pulling at his jacket until he had gotten it off.He felt a spasm in his left side, but ignored it as he examined the damage to his jacket. several new holes, as well as a few quill tips that had managed to get lodged over the course of the day. Growling, he brought it over to a large empty soup can, and started pulling the spines out, placing them in the can, Eventually he would burn the content, the only way he knew to dispose of them. He winced as he stuck himself. His fingers, or paws as they resembled, were not all that graceful, thus trying to handle the sharp points was arduous at best, especially when he tried removing the barbed spikes, which clung to his wound. Eventually he used his teeth to pull then lose, biting it in half in the process, leaving the rancid taste of his poison in his mouth.
Then he felt the side of his back, and felt a few quills that didn't belong, embedded in his back. That was the problem with covering up, Sometimes the quills broke off, and got lodged in his skin, being unable to fall out naturally. He was immune to his own poison of course, but pulling them out was a pain. He could feel the sharp tips, which would work their way deeper if left to it's own devices. He went to the bathroom so he could look in the mirror and try to pull them out. They were hard to reach, but Leon was pretty flexible. He grabbed one and tried to pul, feeling a sharp burning sting as the barbs resisted.
Posted by Manticore on Mar 22, 2017 18:25:19 GMT -6
Delta Mutant
a82c2c
162
12
Apr 5, 2018 10:44:04 GMT -6
The guy, Jorge apparently, didn't seem all that reactive to him, though that was no longer any surprise to Leon with just about everyone having the same reaction, or lack there of, to him. He was just another oddity that everyone else was just used to, which made it difficult for him since it also meant nobody had any hesitations about getting close to him, which he tried to avoid. Jorge wasn't making any motions of getting up, so Leon was a little bit calmer. Some people had not concept of boundaries, which was dangerous with him about.
Jorge asked about Johnny Cash. Leon had to think a bit, he hadn't really had many opportunities to listen to music since his fur grew, so he had to remind himself of who exactly Jorge was referencing. "He's okay I guess," he said not really sure himself. Music just didn't really mean anything to him anymore, so really it didn't matter what Jorge played, all Leon felt was a dull apathy.
"I've been he a little while," he said, though he did not offer much more then that. He wondered how the water felt. He knew better then to jump in of course, he didn't want to contaminate it with poisonous quills. But maybe he could just cool his feet for a little bit. He moved to the side and carefully sat down, dipping his clawed feet into the water, It felt cool against his fur, which swayed in the water with the eddies making an interesting sensation.
Posted by Manticore on Mar 20, 2017 22:48:24 GMT -6
Daydream likes this
Delta Mutant
a82c2c
162
12
Apr 5, 2018 10:44:04 GMT -6
Leon spared Kendra a glance as she walked off to read her book, leaving him alone with his thoughts again. It was better this way, he knew. Nobody was safe around him, he had seen the effects of his venom, had seen people pass out, convulsing and screaming from pain. He wasn't human anymore, he hadn't been for a long time. What was left of him was a cold heart, any hope long dead. He was not totally unaware of the light shining in Kendra's eyes, but all he had in him was the darkness of despair and self loathing. He was a monster, nobody needed that in their lives.
He looked at the shelves, but it felt hallow. What was he looking for? He was just fooling himself, this wasn't going to change anything. It was paper and words, what could they do? All he had managed was to almost kill someone. Nothing could fix that. nothing could shift that burden or shield him from reality. His life had ended a long time ago, he was just going through the motions.
Posted by Manticore on Mar 20, 2017 20:46:19 GMT -6
Daydream likes this
Delta Mutant
a82c2c
162
12
Apr 5, 2018 10:44:04 GMT -6
Leon was still on damage control mode. He had moved quite suddenly, and he was very agitated, meaning his spines would have reactively raised. He had to check to make sure that they weren't sticking out through his jacket. He felt over his shoulders, and quickly found a few spines had punched through. Grumbling, he carefully pulled his jacket off, sliding it back, and felt several small pulls where his spines caught on the material. He payed attention to anything that felt like a snap, as it would mean a spine had broken off, which would need to be removed and disposed. Luckily he was well practiced in this particular maneuver, and felt the spines release from the jacket before settling back down. After he was sure none were visible anymore, he pulled the jacket back on, covering them up once more.
He didn't pay much heed to Kendra's comeback, nor did her lack of fear impress him, since by now several people had shown him that his appearance was a non-factor in their reactions. It was a mutant school, enough said. Kendra's up beat attitude had little effect on his mood, which was starting to settle back down after the near crisis. His heart rate began returning to normal, and he looked at the book Kendra offered. Genetics. Not really his interest, if anything genetics had cursed him, he had drawn the short straw and gotten the worse possible outcome it could hand him. He made a somewhat disinterested growl, leaving the book in Kendra's hand. He looked at the remaining mess of books on the floor. Kendra had some already, but he went ahead and gathered the rest, placing them on the empty spot his recoil had caused.
"I'm Kendra. Kendra Dillenger. I just got to the mansion a few days ago."
Leon wasn't a conversationalist, but he had a few people ask his name, and his response was rather brief and to the point. "Leon... same..." he said, his tone not as agitated, but a bit blunt and unsociable. It wasn't that he was trying to be rude or anything, but he didn't entertain thoughts of friendship or the idea of getting close to others, since it had always ended in disaster for him.
Posted by Manticore on Mar 20, 2017 0:09:35 GMT -6
Delta Mutant
a82c2c
162
12
Apr 5, 2018 10:44:04 GMT -6
Leon hadn't met anyone with a healing ability. Well, he hadn't met many people period, so that wasn't saying much. He was thankful that Rico was on the same track as him though, even if his poison didn't outright kill him, it would probably be unpleasant anyway. He had been stabbed a few times with his own spines when they broke off in his fur, and despite being immune to his venom, they still hurt a lot.
He walked outside, and looked at the different shades of colors. His eyes weren't like normal human eyes, he could see in the dark, so all night time did was change the coloration of the leaves from a bright green to a more dulled viridian. It was a bit more noticable here. The city usually had lights everywhere, so most things were still lit up, but here it was more pronounced. It was... interesting, but not much of a big deal.
"Maybe tomorrow you should go speak to the Doc at the infirmary. Might be a good idea for him to take some samples of that poison. If its venom maybe he can work up some antivenom to help if any accidents happen. Cant remember exactly when. But I also remember reading somewhere that venom is actually very important in the medical community. They can help with medical treatments and breakthroughs for medicines. Like treating high blood pressure, or treating heart attacks. Just food for thought."
Leon hadn't met the 'Doc' but he would not be eager to in any case. He didn't want anyone getting close to his spines, regardless of intention. "All I've seen my venom do is cause unbelievable pain." he said, somewhat sourly, "Not much good in that." He didn't know anything about medicine or venom outside of the fact that snake bites, spider bites and any other thing involving natural poisons were bad for you, so Rico's words of encouragement were lost on him.
Posted by Manticore on Mar 19, 2017 23:41:34 GMT -6
Delta Mutant
a82c2c
162
12
Apr 5, 2018 10:44:04 GMT -6
Anyone who knew Leon, and few did because of his isolationist tendencies, would have known if there was one thin that he did not react well too, it was physical contact. He should have been paying more attention, it was a public space after all, but Leon was not used to trying to find a book among so many books, and thus his usual paranoid demeanor had been distracted enough, and the shelves so overwhelming, he didn't catch the woman rounding the corner, who ran right into his arm.
Leon jumped, perhaps an understatement, as he literally threw himself back, knocking a number of books off the shelves. His heart rate was up immediately as he checked his arm, searching for any signs of holes or blood, the look in his eyes one of panic. Had a spine slipped out? Had he just poisoned someone? Those few seconds for him felt like an eternity his mind wheeled over the worst case scenarios, even while he pawed at his jacket looking for signs of penetration.
He didn't find any, and the lack of screams of pain seemed to confirm that the worst had not happened, at least not yet. It was only then that he finally calmed down enough to look over the person that had almost had the worst day of their lives. He had missed everything she had said, too caught up in the near disaster to have noticed. "I could have killed you," he said, voice still carrying a bit of the panic that still had his pulse racing. "My spines are poisonous, don't come near me." It was something he did whenever he met anyone in the mansion, informing them about the nature of his mutation to keep them from getting too close or relaxed in his presence, though in this particular case he was much more agitated in his explanation, since there was almost an accident before he had a chance to warn.
Posted by Manticore on Mar 18, 2017 20:53:29 GMT -6
Delta Mutant
a82c2c
162
12
Apr 5, 2018 10:44:04 GMT -6
To most, living at a mansion would be a dream. It had everything a person could wish for: more food then you knew what to do with, thousands of acres to explore, gardens to relax in, entertainment, a huge library, tennis courts, and on and on and on... surely nobody could ever find any reason not to enjoy their time there. Unless of course you were Leon.
Leon knew he had no right to complain. He had lived on the streets without so much as the luxury of a bath or a guaranteed meal. Moving into the mansion was a major improvement, and it showed. His fur was clean, and had a more silky look to it after a couple weeks of solid meals. Even his clothes were a bit cleaner after he had taken the time to hand wash them. True, he could have easily used the laundry, but he didn't want to risk it with the poisonous quills that got lodged in them. He didn't want to contaminate washing machines with stray quills. But the fact was that he was better off then he had been in years, so he should be happy, right?
He was well fed, was in a place where people weren't going to attack him, so why did he still feel like crap? He probably already knew the answer if he thought hard enough. Even if it was a mansion, it was still a cage, regardless of how fancy. Even if he left, he was still caged, his own body a prison that cut him off from everyone else physically. Even here, the most likely place he would ever be accepted, he was still a danger to everyone who got close to him. It was something he would never escape.
Leon wandered the grounds, somewhat aimlessly. His mind meandered through the abstract concepts of loneliness and self loathing. It came naturally at this point, years alone allowed him to master the act of disappearing into his head and obsessing over the weight of life's issues, though even after all these years he still felt that he was going in circles.
”You don’t have to hide. I don’t bite.”
His thoughts were cut off when someone addressed him, and he then took note of where he was. Apparently he had wondered over to the pool. Another luxury he apparently just couldn't appreciate like he should. He looked to the source of the voice and saw an older man, apparently dressed for relaxation. With his own hooded jacket up and pants, poked with holes and somewhat worse for ware, it may well looked like some homeless guy had wondered into the area and disturbed that man's activities.
Leon was at a loss for words. He wasn't a social person, his awkward interactions with the inhabitant of the mansion made that clear enough to anyone. It wasn't so much shyness or fear, just an utter lack of conversation skills. "... not hiding." he said, really unable to think of anything else to say at this point.
