-Chapter 15: Tales by the Fireside-
Old Man Winter had arrived in the lands inside the Walls. Despite the cold winds and chilly snowfall, there was a sense of merriment among the denizens of the three Walls. For many know the winter season to be a time when the large man-eaters outside their bastion let up, thus allowing humanity a few months of relative peace. To the more informed and knowledgeable, the lack of sunlight during the winter months caused the titans to slow down in their movements, making them slower and easier to deal with.
Regardless, the lull in their enemy's actions was reason enough to celebrate and enjoy the winter solstice. While the military sent their soldiers to maintain watch over the walls and their commanders planned their next actions, the children of the land played in the snow, revelers sung and danced in the streets, friends and families gathered to enjoy in each other's company, and the devoted preached and spoke their litanies. All in all, good times were had by all.
Minus a few of course, including a certain large statured scout.
-oOo-
Near the outer breach, Shiganshina District
The members of the Scout Regiment were returning back to the Shiganshina District, after dealing with yet another group of titans that were sighted making their way towards the outer wall of the district. To say it was an easy engagement might have been a bit of an understatement, but the fact that the lack of much sunlight made their foes groggier and slower in their movements, certainly shifted the pendulum in the scout's favor. That, and the assistance of their resident superhuman was always a boon.
Speaking of him, some had noticed a slight change in Maverick's attitude, none more so than his squad mates, especially his Squad Leader. Hange had noticed that throughout their engagement, Maverick was a bit…off, so to speak. While his performance was awe inspiring as always, it was the expression on his face that brought her attention. For Maverick always had a look of assurance whenever they went out, a smirk on his face whenever he knocked the teeth out of a titan or ripped a nape with his bare hands, but today was different.
He had a rather flat look to him, as if his mind was somewhere else. While a small smile did cross his face a few times, it didn't seem to be directed at either the scouts or at the situation at hand. Even as they returned to the district his head still seemed to be in the clouds, as he watched the snow fall around the ruined structures of the district.
Hange continued to take nervous glances at her comrade as he continued to walk at a slower pace, causing some of the scouts to maneuver their horses around him. Even Levi voiced his concern.
"Oi! Pick up the pace you glowing oaf!" He shouted. Unfortunately, it did little as the marked man continued to walk in his slow pace. He turned to Hange with a look that told her to deal with him. She understood his look and slowed her horse down, matching Maverick's speed. She coughed, trying to get his attention, to no effect. She then spoke in a soft yet concerned tone.
"Mav? Is everything alright?" She received no response from the man as he continued to walk across the road, humming a little tune as he kept his pace slowed. Hange pouted while a slightly worried look formed on her face. She had seen this behavior from him a couple months back, but it wasn't as bad as this. As she tried to think of a way to get his attention, and idea suddenly popped in her head.
'Oh!'' She thought, why didn't she think of it sooner. She'd do the same thing that Levi always did whenever she got to focused into her work. It always worked for her, so she assumed Maverick would be no different.
"*Helloooo? Hanji to Mav?*" She began to snap her fingers at a rapid pace in front of his face, uncaring for the looks from the rest of the scouts. It worked almost immediately as Maverick's eyes glowed brighter, snapping him back to reality.
"Hmmm?" He muttered. Looking at the hand in front of him he traced the limb back to Hange's smirking face.
"Welcome back, is your head alright?" She asked in a sweet tone. Maverick simply raised an eyebrow at his comrade's inquiry.
"Why wouldn't it be?" He responded in a flat tone while scratching his beard. The smirk on her face turned to a flatter look as she stared at his glowing visage. Was he serious? Was his head that far off in the clouds? These were but a few of the questions that were swinning in her head.
"Well…you've been staring at the snow for a while now, your also in the way of the horses." Maverick looked around him to see numerous scouts maneuvering around the two of them, occasionally waving hello at him.
"Oh, so I am…apologies." He quickly moved to the side of the main street allowing the other scouts to pass with no issues. He picked up his pace as well, with Hange following suit on her horse.
The two remained silent as they traversed across the empty streets, with the occasional group of Garisson greeting them as they walked by. Hange took a few glances at her companion before asking again.
"Is everything alright Mav? You've been a bit…unfocused since we left." Her companion simply gave her a sideways glance as he continued to walk, further worrying her. She saw that his features slightly hardened and his eyes narrowed down at the snow-covered ground, as if he was contemplating something.
Soon however he raised his head, staring at the snow fall once more.
"*Sigh* This time of year…it just…reminds me of a place…a very long time ago." Hange's eyed widened only to go back to normal as she tried to reign in her excitement at the mention of her companion's previous travels.
"Oh…I see…" She said no more as she looked forward atop her horse, trying her best not to look interested in what he just said. Maverick continued to look at her, a small smirk forming on his face as he saw her eyes quickly dart in his direction a few times.
"Want me to talk about it when we get back to HQ?" He saw her face perk up, only to calm herself down almost immediately. However, her shaky foot deceived her feigned coolness as she tried to contain her excitement.
"Well, if it will keep you from daydreaming, I suppose we could spare a couple of informative hours." Maverick sighed in content. Hange was an easy person to please, and he figured maybe he might feel a bit better by telling them all another story. With nothing more to say he straightened his back and quickened his pace. "Guess that settles it."
"Mhmm!" Was all she said until she quickly kicked her horse into high gear, racing across the main road. As she rode past the other scout's she shouted out for all to hear.
"Everyone, pick up the pace! Mav's gonna tell one of his tales!" Some of the scouts followed Hange's example and began to increase their speed towards their headquarters.
Over the months Maverick had earned a reputation among the Survey Corps as a storyteller. To them it was always a treat to hear one of the bizarre tales of his many adventures. So, to hear that he was going to tell another was an exciting event all on its own, especially for those scouts who had returned to active duty.
Some of the veterans humorously watched as their juniors sped off, all but one small statured grinch who voiced out his displeasure to the gathered vets.
"We'll probably have to go back in a few hours, doubt I'll be enough for one of his stories." The commander of the scouts looked back at the captain with an amused look.
"Then, I suppose we'll have to make the best of it." Receiving only a huff from his captain the veterans picked up their paces, as they too were not immune to the allure of Maverick's ever fascinating anecdotes.
-oOo-
Main Lounge, inside the Scout Regiment Headquarters, Shiganshina District
Inside the lounge room of the headquarters main building sat many of the scouts, including the commander and squad leaders in the mix as well. All were seated in a variety of chairs, anxiously waiting for Maverick to start one of his tales. One of Erwin's assistants lit up the fireplace installed in the room, allowing the room to heat up and for everyone to warm up their bodies.
"Thank you Beirer." Erwin said. The scout nodded as he returned to his seat inside the lounge. Many began to rub their arms, allowing the heat from the fire to sooth their chills. Soon their heads turned to the man of the hour, who sat patiently nearby the fireplace atop a crate he brought from the supply room.
"Are you sure you're comfortable Maverick?" Erwin asked to which Maverick responded with a chuckle and a knowing look.
"I've sat on worse. Besides, you and I both know there's no chair anywhere in this base that'll support me." Erwin released an amused sigh, recalling a certain incident many months ago. "A fair point I suppose." Soon there was a comfortable silence as everyone gathered up inside the now heated room.
"So Mav, now that were all warm and toasty, why don't you tell us all what's been bugging you?" The scouts looked to their large comrade who brought his head backwards while taking a breath, allowing the heat of the fireplace to warm the back of his skull, before looking back at his listeners.
"Right, well first off, apologies for being so out of it all day, this time of year always….it always does my head in." This brought two reactions from the scouts. The first were the intrigued looks, especially from the veterans who were present during his trial. Second were the confuzzled looks, as many still were not used to Maverick's odd lingos and phrases.
"Well, it's not as if your performance was lacking. So, no harm done." Erwin reassured, with many others voicing out their agreements.
"Oh, for sure!"
"Even though you head wasn't all there you still managed to take out most of the horde!"
"Like your body knew where to hit em!"
"If anything, you make it look easy…"
"Yeah, leave some for us, ya Glory Hog!"
A few chuckles erupted from the scouts, Maverick included. Yet another nickname to add to his already large list of titles. Suddenly a hand was raised among the seated soldiers. Maverick looked in the direction of the hand to see a young faced woman, holding her hand up high as if this were a classroom. With a smile he nodded in her direction, eliciting a small blush from the scout.
"C-Can you be a bit more specific? Cause I think that's the first time ever heard that phrase." She asked. Maverick responded with a cough as he readjusted his seating position.
"Well, like I told Hange, this time of year always brings back…certain memories of mine." There was a bit of silence as nearly all the scouts raised their eyebrows. Some were surprised, while others gave the large man sympathetic looks, for perhaps those memories were something he tried to suppress or forget. Especially if said memories were similar to the situation at hand.
"Is that why you've been out of it all day?" Levi asked in his usual monotone voice. Maverick simply nodded as he stared down at his hands, which were clasped together, as his eyes glowed slightly faded.
"The snow…the giants…this whole mess were in just reminds me of a very…similar situation I was in way back when." Silence once again filled the room as everyone processed what he said, until an amused huff came from humanities third strongest soldier.
"Not surprised." Miche said with a smirk. His fellow squad mate put her own two cents in as she readjusted her cloak turned snuggie.
"*Chuckles* With all the crazy stories you tell us, it's no wonder you see the titans as little more than pests." Nanaba remarked, earning her a smile from Maverick as he looked back at the markings on his hands.
"So this….place you lived back then was dealing with the same titan problem we have?" A scout from the back said, which caused a rather odd reaction from the large man. For he began to chuckle in a rather sarcastic tone, as if he was waiting for someone to say those exact words.
"*Chuckles* Ohhh there were more than just giant man eaters to worry about…Besides the freezing winds, there were all sorts of monstrosities. Twisted, mutated, and far more deadly than the lumbering dimwits."
Looks of both surprise and intrigue formed among the scouts, even Hange's smile turned downward as she leaned forwards, wanting to hear every detail of these threats that rivaled the titans. To which Maverick was more than eager to share.
"Imagine, if you can, a winged, two headed beast flying across the sky, raining down warp fire onto the people below, burning and melting their flesh, or turning them into mutated abominations. Lumbering ten foot monsters that spewed vomit so acidic, that it could dissolve a man in seconds! Creatures that had the power to turn a poor fool into stone just by looking at it! And beast-faced men who were born with a seething hatred for humanity and wished for nothing more than to crush and dismantle all that we old dear!"
"That's the kinds of things I had to deal with! Including the giants, the only difference being that they could wield weapons, and could tear entire regiments apart just by screaming at them. Imagine that!"
The scouts remained silent, with looks of utter bewilderment and rising terror at the chaotic creatures their large comrade had just described. Even Levi, the man who rarelt showed any emotion, had raised his brow at the description of these beasts. Soon Moblit voiced out what everyone was thinking at the moment.
"What kind of hell did you wind up in?!"
Which was followed by everyone else adding in their own comments and remarks.
"Acid vomit…Gahhh, why did you put that image in my head?!"
"I don't like where this story is going…"
"Flying monsters?…"
"I'd rather face the Colossal than whatever the fuck you just described."
"Are you sure this wasn't some ale induced fantasy?"
He offered no rebuttals as he continued with his spiel and stood from his crate. Then his tone turning more serious and heated as he eyed his listeners.
"Ohhh, but that's not the worst of them all, oh no…for what could be worse than having to fight your fellow ma-"
He stopped, eyes glowing with a sudden realization, before slowly sitting back down and staring back at the floor again.
"No, no, that's being nice. They were nothing more than corrupted souls wearing the skin of men, who launched never ending raids upon others they deemed lesser than them, bringing nothing but devastation and pain. All in the hopes that they would be noticed by their ruinous gods and rewarded with the greatest of gifts and blessings."
The scouts could only look at their companion in unspoken shock and concern, for he essentially admitted that he had spilt the blood of his fellow man. Or at least human like creatures, for he seemed to show little care or respect for them.
Then he suddenly raised his head, giving them all a small smile as he continued, to their slight uncomfort.
"But there was a small light inside the darkness. For many sought to fight back against the forces of chaos, to stand against the ravenous hordes of marauders and beasts, and deny many an aspiring north-born champion their gifts, and their right to live…"
Everyone stayed silent, not wanting to interrupt the large man, until the commander spoke out, as he tried to get Maverick back to the main topic of his story.
"And this land you speak of was one of them?" His question was answered by a swift head nod from the large storyteller.
"Yep. Standing at the northern borders of human civilization, was the Tzardom of Kislev, the Realm of the Ice Queen. A kingdom always tiptoeing on the brink of total destruction at the hands of the horrors of the far north. Every, single, day of their lives was nothing but fighting and survival. Countless generations, fighting and dying on the icy tundra of their motherland."
He took a pause for a moment, allowing the scout to soak it all in before continuing.
"But you know what? Despite all the shit they went through, they knew that if they didn't give it their all, then the rest of humanity would be absolutely fucked. Those steel hearted men and women were some of the best people I had the pleasure to fight alongside with."
The looks of dread of the listeners turned to looks of astonishment after hearing their comrade speak of these mystical warriors with such emotion and reverence. Their prowess must have been quite impressive to both earn the marked man's admiration and survive the monstrous horrors that he described.
"They sound like quite the bunch." Levi remarked eliciting a snarky laugh from the marked man. "Damn straight they were, could look at one of these titans, and not a single one of them would flinch, hell I can see a bit of them in all of you honestly."
He let the scouts talk amongst themselves in regard to the people of Kislev. Some were a bit skeptical, wondering if perhaps Maverick was simply overexaggerating. Others couldn't help but feel a sense of pride, after being compared to the people of this alleged nation of hardened defenders.
"And so, you lived among these…Kislevs?" Hange said, trying to classify the natives of the land that her comrade held dear. To which Maverick factually corrected her.
"Kislevites, and yes, I did. But, before I get into the nitty-gritty, I think I need to tell you all a little bit more about the chaotic land from whence the people of Kislev came from. Of where many, such as myself, called home…"
Thus, he began to spin his tale of his life in the Old World. He spoke briefly of the many nations that ruled the lands. Such as the Empire of Man, the greatest of the human nations in the southlands. He recalled how he awoke near one of the borders of the nation's most northern province, Ostland, where he began his new life.
Then there was the kingdom of Bretonnia, the second largest nation of men. To many of the scouts it sounded like a land straight out of a fairy tale, as Maverick spoke of the renown knights of the realm, whose martial prowess and skills rivaled those of the greatest knightly orders of the Empire. Many were enraptured as he recalled one of his adventures in the land of chivalry. Only to think less of the chivalrous nation as he spoke of what lied under the kingdoms noble exterior.
He spoke briefly of the minor nations of men, such as Estalia, a conglomerate of smaller kingdoms south of Bretonnia. And Tilea, a nation of city states known for their use of many famous and renowned mercenary regiments, the Dogs of War. When asked about his experiences in these lands Maverick only smiled, saying that those tales would be; "Best saved for later…"
He spoke of those who allied with humanity against their war against the forces of chaos. Such as the High Elves of the island of Ulthuan, a race of long lived and magically adept humanoids. And the Dwarfs of the Worlds Edge Mountains, a race of small statured, but hardened folk, gifted in the arts of smithing and engineering.
The scouts were left baffled and amused as he spoke of these mythical beings, for apparently the High Elves haughtiness surpassed that of the most snobbish Sina noble, and the Dwarfs penchant for settling grudges was so legendary, that they even held an ancient book dedicated to recording each and every slight committed against their race.
And of course, he would mention the many dangers that humanity had to face. Such prime examples being the Orcs, a race of green-skinned, sharp toothed, and musclebound barbarians, who's only purpose in their lives seemed to be waging never ending battles against humanity, and against each other at times. When asked for the reason behind their violent actions many scouts had looks of anger and shock form on their faces as Maverick answered by saying they fought for, by his own quote; "The shits and giggles."
Then there were the Skaven. A race of twisted rat men who ruled a vast under empire, which stretched across nearly every nation and land in the Old World. He spoke of their hatred for the surface dwellers and their desire to one day emerge and conquer the known world. And they could he said, however their backstabbing and deceitful nature always proved to a detriment to their plans. What surprised the scouts even more was his claim that despite some clear evidence, many people, especially those in the Empire, did not believe they existed, or at least pretended they didn't.
Before Maverick could go on about another danger, the sudden sound of coughing was heard. All turned their attention to the source, that being Erwin, who was seated near the front of the fire.
"As…fascinating as this all is Maverick, I think we're getting a bit off topic. You were telling how our situation compared to the Kislevites, correct?" Maverick stayed silent for a few moments before deflating a little as he slouched over his crate.
"Right *Chuckles*. Well, like I said, Kislev lied in the northern regions of the world, right at the doorstep of every bastard and beast from the northern wastes. Now the marauders, like I said before, loved nothing more than to pillage the southlands, especially the Empire."
"But there was a kicker you see. They couldn't just straight up march into the lands of the Empire, no, they had to go through Kislev first, or invade by traveling across the sea. After some serious fuck ups though, they mostly tried to invade through Kislev. Think of the nation as a whole like the district here. Humanity's first line of defense."
He took another pause to let the scouts talk amongst themselves, when a sudden question from Moblit came forth.
"Did the nation ever…fall?" The room remained silent, as Maverick looked into Moblit's eyes and spoke with a tone of assurance.
"In the years I spent in the Old World, not once did the nation go under...there was one incident however, but that was before my time, so I won't go into detail for now."
The scouts were left a bit perplexed at his claim, but they figured that they would hear of this so called "incident" from the large man eventually.
"But to make this long story short, I decided to move to the nation in my later years. I figured that since that's where all those glorified bandits up north gathered up, then I might as well be there to personally welcome each and every one of them." He remarked, giving the scout one of his wolfish grins, many of them figuring out just what his "welcome" entailed.
"Did you get along with the people?" Nanaba asked. To which Maverick responded with a shaky hand gesture, to the amusement of all.
"Ehhh, they were a bit weary of me at first, y'know, glowing tattoos and the strength of a hundred giants and everything." He received a few chuckles from the audience. "But after a bit of time taking down a couple of would-be champions and warbands, they warmed up to me pretty quick. Also helped that I made a bit of a reputation for myself in the Empire." Before he could continue Hange spoke out and remarked on something that he had said earlier.
" You said it was called the realm of the Ice Queen correct? What's up with that?" The scouts, especially the female members, looked to Maverick for clarification.
"Oh, did I forget to mention that the nation was ruled by a literal witch with the powers to manipulate ice? Must have slipped my mind." He spoke in a humorous tone while scratching his beard.
Suddenly the room was engulfed with the many voices of the scouts, with questions upon question regarding this so-called ice queen, consisting of either her character or in Hange's case, more information on her alleged ice manipulation abilities.
"Easy everyone easy. I only meet with her a few times during my time, but what I can tell you is that she was definitely a force to be reckoned with, especially when she personally appeared on the battlefield. Hell, she was considered the most powerful ice witch to have ever lived!"
More mutterings from the scouts resumed, for they struggled with the concept of ice magic. Despite the fact that the man telling them the story was adorned in glowing markings, and his eyes glowed an ethereal blue light. Before the bespectacled scout could inquire further, Erwin's voice stopped her.
"Hold it Hange, as enjoyable as this time has been, I believe we should stop here for now. For we need to prepare for the next wave of titans to approach the breach." Despite some sighs from the scouts, they complied with the commander. Soon they were rising from their chairs, and thanking Maverick for the enjoyable few hours. That is, until Levi spoke.
"A bit too late for that Erwin." He said while looking out the window he was leaning on.
"What do you mean?" Erwin asked as he approached Levi, raising a bushy eyebrow in the short man's direction.
"Look…" Was all he said as he pointed at the window. Looking outwards the commanders eyed widened at what he saw. "Ah, I see…"
Outside their window was the sight of a ferocious snowstorm, that didn't seem to be ending anytime soon, if the few inches of snow engulfing the ground was anything to go by. Soon the rest of the scouts looked out the other windows, voicing their comments as they watched the snowfall.
"Wow, it's never snowed this much before!"
"Can't even see the sun."
"Hah! It's a winter solstice miracle!"
While the scouts were amazed at the amount of snow piling up outside, the commander had a much different reaction.
"Hmmm, this much snow will no doubt be a detriment to the reconstruction efforts." He had a point, the heavier than usual snowstorm would no doubt delay the Garrison's reconstruction efforts on the outer breach, meaning that the scouts would have to be on the defensive for a few more months.
As if feeling the upset emotions Hange was quick to offer her commander some form of reassurance.
"Look on the bright side Erwin, this much snow means that the titans will be far less active." He nodded as a small smile formed on his face. Indeed, with this unusually heavy snowstorm the titan's movements would all but cease for the foreseeable future. But knowing Hange this wasn't the only thing she was happy about.
"Which also means…that we can hear more stories!" There it was, Erwin thought, her real reason for being all cheery. All heads turned to Maverick, who simply shrugged in response.
"Well, if were all still interested." Many approving voices spoke out almost in unison, with one monotone voice catching the marked man's ears.
"Might as well, got nothing better to do." Came the voice of Levi, who pulled up a chair from a nearby table. Erwin as well returned to his previous seat in a calm manner.
"Despite his wording he's right, this storm has pretty much locked us inside the headquarters for the foreseeable future. So, with that in mind…." Sitting down, Erwin crossed one of his legs, giving Maverick his full attention. "Please continue Maverick."
The marked man offered a small smile as a response. Walking back to his crate he adjusted himself, making sure that the crate was still able to support him. Feeling no cracks he relaxed, waiting for the rest of the scouts to sit back in their seats, covering themselves once again in their snuggie cloaks. Once all their eyes were on him, he continued with his tales of his time in the frozen kingdom and the threats he faced, starting with his encounter with the notorious and intelligent Troll King of the perilous land that was the Troll Country.
-oOo-
Later that night, inside the barracks of the Survey Corps Headquarters
Maverick sat on his bed, flipping through the many pictures drawn inside his personal journal. While tonight's storytelling session certainly helped to ease his mind, it did not completely soothe the growing heartache he felt throughout the day.
For he never told Hange and the scouts the real truth behind his behavior early in the day. And who could blame the large man for his deception. For while it did remind him of his time in Kislev, there were more…intimate memories that entered his mind when he saw the snowfall.
Memories of a certain winter festivity…
A time meant to be spent with the family…
To exchange gifts and enjoy in each other's company…
To bid farewell to the end of the year, and celebrate the beginning of the new…
Wrapped in the arms of his many beloveds, and his many children…
Maverick simply stared at the hand drawn pictures of his extended family with a nostalgic look. Recalling the many memories of the winter season.
Memories of rising up early in the morning, always by one of his children jumping on the bed. Watching their faces light up with joy at the sight of presents under the tree, either by him or old Saint Nicholas himself. Spending the day watching them play with their gifts or watching the seasonal holiday special. Even when they all grew up and had families of their own, they still took the time to contact one another and wish each other well, or even come to visit. Even now, centuries later, he could still hear them in his mind.
"Wake up papa!"
"Daddy look! Santa came!"
"There's so many presents!"
"Oh sweetheart, you shouldn't have."
"I got it, he got me what I wanted!"
"Oh honey, I love it!
"So that's why you wanted my measurements?~"
"Open it papa!"
"Try it on dear~."
"This is the best Christmas EVER!"
"Another wonderful holiday, just the two of us~."
"Hey pa, I brought the family over."
"I love you..."
Despite the heartache it caused him, they were still and always would be his most precious memories. As he continued to slowly flip through the many pages he spoke in a hushed tone.
"*Sigh* I'm sorry we couldn't all celebrate today…I just need some more time to adjust."
He slowly rested on his bed, careful not to make any sudden movements. All while still holding onto the notebook.
"That and I'm pretty sure they don't celebrate it here…"
He stared up at the wooden ceiling of his room, hearing the small creaks of his bed and a few snores from some of the heavier sleepers of the regiment.
"Not a day goes by that I don't think of any of you…especially this time of year..."
He placed the notebook back inside his cupboard and blew out the candle atop said cupboard, submerging his room in darkness.
"I promise, once I get settled, I'll get to work. Just need to get the funds and find the right people…"
He closed his eyes as he went under the warm covers, allowing his mind to somewhat relax and drift into the realm of dreams once more. As his consciousness began to fade, a final thought went through his mind.
"Merry Christmas everyone…and a Happy New Year..."
"Oh...and uhhh...Happy Birthday, Jesus."
A/N: HAHA! I DID IT! I MANAGED TO FINISH THIS BEFORE THE NEW YEAR! You guys have no idea how satisfied I feel about it. This was always meant to be the final chapter of the year, but with all the other irl stuff going on this month I didn't think I would make it. But I buckled down and managed to squeeze this out at the 11th hour.
Consider this the halfway point in the "first season" of this story, like when Eren was allowed to join the scouts. For this marks the end of the year 845 in the story. I got a lot planned for next year as Maverick will finally get the full Survey Corps experience.
Anyways, this chapter is something I want to do periodically throughout the story, just a chapter of Maverick telling the scouts about the different worlds he's traveled to. This is essentially where the crossover part of the story will show itself, as quite a few series will be mentioned and referenced (and more). Like the idea?
Until then I wish you all a Happy New Year and stay safe!
Edit 6/14/22: Edited Maverick's response to Nanaba.