Honour the House

You wanted this, Julia reminded herself as she walked down the dark beach. It felt like the night was clinging to her like a spider's web, silken and deceptively strong. The ocean seemed to whisper Hush, hush, listen, so she did, but she couldn't hear much beyond the waves. As the light in the distance grew closer, though, the crackle of flame filled her ears and made her forearms feel strangely itchy. Crossing her arms, she strode purposefully through the sand, feeling the resistance with every step.

After walking so far in the dark, the brightness of yellow and orange was almost too much for her eyes to bear, but Julia kept moving towards the small bonfire. "I want this," she whispered to herself. "I chose this. This is mine."

She wasn't wearing all black. That would be too obvious. There was more to House of Black than darkness, and that was what she wanted. She needed more; she was meant for more. She needed to prove to the three hulking shadowy forms in front of her that she was more. Her gaze instinctively sought out the smallest one first. Buddy. He was the newest member, having joined only a few months ago. He looked different than the others: shorter, no visible tattoos, clean cut. But there was a sharpness in his gaze that only a fool would miss, and Julia was no fool. Not anymore.

One shadow unfolded itself gracefully from the pack, rising as easily as he did in the ring. Malakai. The firelight added a depth to his tattoos that was dizzying, and even in the darkness, Julia imagined she could see his one eerie eye. "Julia. Welcome." He gestured to the roaring fire. "Please. Sit."

I called YOU here, Julia thought for one mutinous moment. You're here because of ME. But she knew that wasn't entirely right. They were all here for each other. There were several factions in AEW—so many that it had become a sort of running joke—but for all of House of Black's mystique, they seemed to be missing something. It was up to Julia to convince them it was her. "Malakai, Brody, Buddy." She stopped after invoking their names, letting her gaze rest on Brody. He was huge and powerful, but there had always been something comforting about him, something so natural about his strength. Whenever she had encountered him backstage, his dark gaze was always kind. Malakai was generous with his time, offering advice about her move set when she came back after a match. Buddy's serious demeanour melted away when he showed people pictures of his girlfriend and their dogs. For all the brother-based tag teams in the company, it was House of Black that truly seemed like family. "I would like to join the House of Black."

Julia was still standing, waiting for the worst. Derisive laughter. Cruel words. Outright rejection. She was nothing like them. No one was intimidated when she walked by. No one would ever nominate her matches for an award. Not now.

Not yet.

"This isn't just a faction, Julia." Malakai's voice was steady and kind as he walked around the bonfire towards her. "This isn't some random collection of wrestlers or a gimmick to sell t-shirts. When we wrestle, we honour the House. We live by tenets. We train by them."

"I know," Julia said, keeping her voice and her stance steady. "That's what I want."

"It's not always easy," warned Brody. "But nothing worth having is, as they say."

Julia shook her head. "I don't want easy. Playing cheerleader was easy. I'm done with that. I want to be more than that."

"Why?" Buddy's eyes seemed to narrow in the firelight. "You know what the House offers you: unity, strength, purpose. What would you bring to the House?"

She knew they were going to ask her questions, but this was still the one that stumped her. What did she have to offer that they didn't already have? She wasn't the strongest or fastest; her ring acumen wasn't the best. "An open mind," she said at last. "I want to learn. I want to grow. I want to be more than blonde hair and a skirt and a smile."

Brody nodded slowly, and Julia had that sense that he was willing to take a chance on her. "You're hungry," he said simply. "Hungry for more out of life. That's good. Too many of the wrestlers are happy to stay in the back, cashing Tony's cheques and doing little to earn them. That is not the House's way."

Malakai stopped beside her, careful not to block her view of the fire. His head was tilted like a curious bird's, his gaze just as fixed. "Change is not easy. It's not meant to be. If you want to be different, to be something more, you will have to work for it."

Julia cleared her throat awkwardly. "I know. I'm ready." When she met Malakai's gaze, she felt strangely calm. They were all so much bigger than her, stronger, accomplished. She refused to be intimidated, though. I can be that too, in time.

"We need to grow," Buddy pointed out. "What better way to grow than to teach someone else?"

Julia shot him a grateful look. "I'm willing to learn. I'm ready to work hard. I want this."

"Members of the House of Black," Malakai called, "rise." Brody and Buddy didn't quite have Malakai's fluid grace as they got to their feet, but they still cast impressive silhouettes by the warm firelight. "What do you think?"

Brody gave a small nod. "You gave me a chance. You gave Buddy one. She deserves the same. She came to us. She wants this."

Buddy chuckled softly. "We'll have to get more black in your wardrobe," he joked, "but that's easy enough to do. I'm sure my girlfriend could give you some advice."

Both Buddy and Brody turned to Malakai, whose gaze hadn't left Julia. "Julia Hart, welcome to the House of Black."

Julia's breath caught in her chest and she stared at the fire until her eyes started to tear up. It was exactly what she wanted and she thought it would never happen. She had been determined to start a new chapter in her life and now she had just turned the first page. So many blank pages lay ahead, and she couldn't wait to see how they would read. "Thank you," she said softly. "Now what—aside from getting black clothes?" Her smile was small but genuine, and she laughed when Brody wrapped an arm around her shoulders and gave her a friendly shake.

"Sit. We have much to discuss," Malakai said, lowering himself back down to the sand.

"And plenty of time to update your wardrobe," Brody added, ruffling her hair. "My wife can help with that too, if you like."

Julia reached up and touched her hair. Would she have to cut it? Dye it? Buddy's hair was reddish and he fit in just fine. "Thank you."

"Welcome to the House of Black." Malakai looked at each member in turn. "If you're ready to honour the House, let's begin."

The ocean still whispered Hush, hush, listen, and Julia did, mesmerized by the dance of the flames, the depth of the darkness, and the bond of the House.