She can sense his power.
If she has to describe it, it feels like a living entity. And of course it is. It pulsates like a throbbing vein, like a dark, living mass that breathes. When she turns her head to the side, the thing remains, as if lurking in her peripheral vision. And if she turns her back to it, it sits there, fretful, hanging in a small spot on the back of her neck.
It is something she had never imagined being able to learn.
When she describes her findings to Krillin and Piccolo, they confirm having that same sensation. They feel it too.
'He's lowering his power level.' Piccolo suddenly speaks up and that explains why it feels like it is pulsating. 'I don't think it is a skill that he has fully mastered yet, but he is figuring it out.'
'The same way he's learned to locate other powers from his last visit to Earth.' Krillin adds before taking a sip from his cup. 'He's a really quick learner. That's messed up.'
Another silence falls over the three as they remain seated at the small table in Bulma's backyard.
Everything has finally quieted down.
After hiring Vegeta as her new resident psychopath, Bulma had taken to calling her parents. They has been ecstatic to hear of her return. Through tears of joy she had explained what she needed. That they had come with a couple handfuls of Piccolo's who all needed a ride and a place to stay.
The Namekians had been moved to the western part of the compound, where a large arboretum would house the green aliens. It would be a tight fit, unfortunately, but that did not deter their new group of house guests in the slightest. Though many were tired from recent events, the discovery of a thing called a botanical garden had revitalized them.
At least the Namekians would be able to kind of, sort of, maybe be able to enjoy their temporary stay.
Thank Kami above that communicating with them was made easy because of Piccolo. The tall warrior had acted as a translator, diligently using what little patience he naturally has to escort his kin through every step.
What is even crazier, is that some have already begun picking up English words through telepathy.
Even more interesting was that the little friend Dende that Gohan had made, actually spoke it. Sure it was broken and backwards, but the fact that the little Namekian had picked it up in a matter of days was just tickling Bulma's scientific strings in all the right ways.
So thankfully, that issue had been solved rather swiftly.
Leaving only one other problem.
Bulma had been brutally honest towards her parents.
The Namekians? She would take a thousand of them over this one warrior.
She had begun by giving a vague description of the reluctant team-up between the alien and team Earth against an evil space tyrant. Not because she was withholding information, she simply hadn't been present most of the time. Bulma had felt a pang of guilt at being forced to burst the bubbling excitement in her mother's voice when she had added that Vegeta was also one of the Saiyans who had started this whole mess. And that he is a trained soldier, a specialized killer and probably has a fuse as short as a pencil.
It had been difficult to explain that they needed to treat him like delicate silverware, simply because chances were slim team Earth could take the Saiyan on at this point, especially after Vegeta had been killed. So trying to get some sort of handle on him by giving him a place to stay and everything he wanted, had been the best choice of action in her opinion.
Treat Vegeta like he can go off like an atom bomb, literally.
Although her excitement had been dented slightly, that undeniable threat hadn't deterred her ever optimistic mother. She had been the one who had stepped up with a set of cojones bigger than the Namekian Dragon Balls. She had openly welcomed the Saiyan, then told him, to his face, what a cute boy he was, and that she felt so sorry that she had been unable to properly prepare for his arrival. She had then hooked her arm around Vegeta's bicep, which had terrified everyone, and proceeded to drag him to the other side of the compound promising him he could clean up while she prepared him a meal.
'I can't believe Vegeta actually allowed her to drag him away like that.' Bulma finally breaks the silence.
'We should have asked your mom to come to Namek with us. She could charm Frieza into becoming her BFF if she wanted to.' Krillin is staring into the same direction she is looking at.
Despite this whole mess Bulma feels a smile pull at the corners of her mouth. She inhales deeply and lets out a sigh, feeling the stress of the last month hum throughout her body. When she opens her eyes again, a tall Namekian is walking towards them. He is one of their eldest, with blue and white robes covering his slender body. He holds out a hand with an encouraging smile on his face. When Bulma takes it, it feels warm and strong and so loving and familiar. Like when she was little and would grab the hand of her dad. Before she knows it she's smiling again.
The Namekian casts his gaze into the direction of the compound, obviously sensing that same throbbing beast that they all feel.
'I cannot again stress how grateful we all are that you tumbled into our lives.' The alien begins. 'Even if this situation is not yet ideal, there could have been a far worse outcome. Also, for what it is worth, I would like to aid you in your peculiar situation, where I can, if you do not mind. I would have to come into physical contact with the Saiyan, to confirm what I am about to share, but I do believe his aura speaks for itself.'
'Please tell me Vegeta is secretly a really nice guy who is into stickers and ponies and rainbows and stuff.' Krillin's hope idea is crushed immediately of course.
Shame, Bulma's mother would have loved to search the internet up and down for anything My Little Pony.
'He is not a monster. That creature that came to out planet, with its hapless minions... that thing was a monster. This one,' he indicates his head into the direction of the compound. 'is a predator.'
'I cannot stress how that is in no way better, if I'm being really honest.' Krillin opts as his eyes finally break away from that throbbing thing and down to his hands.
Bulma understands him. She instantly gets what Krillin means. A predator, especially here on Earth, can be very dangerous to a human. Sure, a house cat is a hunter as well, and will take care of decease ridden rodents that ruin farmlands. But a bear is also a predator. And as cute and fluffy as they may be, a bear is many times stronger than a human, and they have been known to kill humans.
There are statistics of people getting killed on a yearly basis by all kinds of dangerous animals. Sharks, crocodiles, gorillas, even hippos and giraffes. And those aren't even predators.
But she also gets what the Namekian is trying to say. 'Look at it this way. Vegeta is like a lion.'
'On steroids.' Krillin intervenes, his comment bringing a small smile to her lips.
'We should be able to deal with that.'
'I don't think throwing Vegeta a slab of meat every now and then while he takes twenty naps a day can be considered handling him.'
'A lion is a predator. It hunts and kills to survive.' She smiles at the smaller man as she tries to get her point across. 'Dealing with a survivor is different from dealing with a sadist.'
'Oh no, no he is very corrupt.' The Namekian cuts in, wiping the grin from her face. 'We are all still in, how do you say it? Really deep shit?' He's obviously hanging onto Bulma for too long if he has begun picking up her swearing. 'Yes, totally fucked.'
Royally.
A/N: Pun intended :p