"That certainly sounds - interesting." Ivan responded, processing the information he'd just been given. "I do not think that I have read something with such a plot before. This is important to part of American culture? If it is, then I should probably read it." To be honest, he wasn't sure what his opinion of it was, but he would keep an open mind for the sake of learning and making friends. It did seem interesting, the idea of someone who had looked ordinary turning out to be powerful, though - for some reason - the 'seventy years' thing didn't initially strike him as being more than an inconvenience. Odd, that.

It was with muted dismay that Ivan watched the enthusiasm drain from Alfred's face, and he felt guilty for asking about something that could have this effect on the bubbly guy. "Ah, do not be sad - is comic, da? I may not know much about them, but I have heard that Superman has been shown to die at least once, but been written of afterwards. If that is so, then does that not mean that death is not as permanent in comic books?" He wittered, trying frantically to cheer up his new friend. For some reason, the same thing that was affecting Alfred was striking him as poignant and grief-worthy, but he was suppressing that emotion in favour of trying to brighten Alfred again, finding himself returning Alfred's earlier gesture of reassuring arm-patting.

Ivan was significantly relieved when Alfred looked up and smirked at the new arrival - this was more like it! A smiling or smirking face suited him much better than glum features. So that is the slacker. He mused, looking over the fellow. After a moment, he noticed the oddness about that smile, though he hadn't seen it initially, and he understood what Alfred had described about the man before - this was indeed someone with deceptive charm.

Proffering payment for the items he'd purchased, Ivan nodded to Alfred and stood up. "Da, I am ready." He agreed, giving the hero-enthusiast an amused smirk and wondering whether this Jacob man would notice him now that he had stood up. After all, while someone tall can be more easily overlooked while seated, standing is another matter. "To the college, then?"

((So glad you approve~ I like writing Ivan reacting to stuff.))

"Well, not really I guess? I mean it's usually reboots that bring them back, but I'm pretty sure canonically speaking it was meant to be a permanent thing," Alfred responded, shrugging lightly. "But, to be fair, that's just my opinion. I haven't met the writers of any of them, so I don't really know for sure."

"Ah, I see." Ivan murmured, contrite. "Perhaps someone else will be taking up the name? With things like aliases, legacy heroes are possible, da? Even if the original does not come back, his name could go on, hmm?" It didn't seem like much to Ivan, but it was the only thing he could think of to offer as comfort - he just hoped that it was good enough.

"Ah, I suppose I am rather big." Ivan agreed, looking down at himself as though only just noticing. This was purely for Alfred's amusement, nothing more. He wasn't sure why Alfred thought it suited him, but it didn't really matter. He was the height he was, and that wasn't about to change. Besides, it looked as though it was useful for intimidating unpleasant people. That was fun, he mused, giving Jacob an evil smile.

Poison? Is he talking about the man's attitude? Alfred doesn't seem to be the poisoning type. Ivan mused to himself, upon hearing Alfred's comment, but he didn't ask. For all he knew, it could be slang for the coffee. Ivan felt a little jolt of something when Alfred grasped his hand. He had no idea what it was, or why he'd felt something, but he made no complaint as the re-enthused American approached the notion of dragging him along to his car. "You can drive? What car?" He asked, having landed on that as a topic he could at least put into words.

"Eh, nothing huged. Just an old Pontiac," the American responded with a shrug. "Only thing I could afford at the time and it hasn't given out yet, so I've kept it. Gets decent mileage I guess." He sighed lightly. "It's...what was it, a Pontiac 6000 from like, the nineties I think?" he frowned a bit, furrowing his eyes before he shook his head a bit. "Anyways, yeah, uh, it's that red...thing over there," he said, pointing to his car just before they approached it and he released Ivan's hand to pull out his keys, unlocking his doors so he could carefully place his comics in the back.

Just as Alfred had stated, the car was nothing spectacular, but its old appearance was slightly nostalgic, so Ivan supposed that it had some charm to it. When Alfred released his hand, he pondered what he had felt with bewilderment, flexing his fingers a little bit. He had felt - what, precisely? There had been surprise, yes, but also a feeling of being included, of warmth, of rightness, and a hint of recognition. This made no sense - unless... Maybe they had encountered each other as little children, if one or the other of their families had visited the other's country? Or perhaps he had simply once had a childhood friend who had looked like Alfred, but had been too young to remember it.

He snapped out of his contemplation when Alfred opened the car door, and he seated himself promptly, being certain to buckle himself in. He'd never really liked buckles much, but they were there for safety's sake, so he couldn't neglect them. "I think that I already am~" He responded, when Alfred expressed a wish for him to enjoy his time in Kansas. It was fortunate, he mused, that he did not get carsick, and at least the windows on a car did not look down on the world from up high like the plane's had. He wasn't scared of heights, but he'd had a really odd daydream while staring out of the plane window on the way to America - something about jumping out of an aircraft without a parachute towards a snowy landscape, and being utterly unconcerned by it. That had sent shudders down his spine, and he'd refused to look out of the window any more after that.

I wonder whether I will recognise the college for what it is when I see it? Ivan wondered absently, while looking around at the interior of the car to see what it had inside it.

Alfred laughed softly, looking over at Ivan once he'd gotten the car started. "I'm glad you're enjoying yourself already!" he responded, grinning before he twisted to look back to make sure he wouldn't hit anything. Unfortunately, he was parked between two other cars along the side of the road so it took a little while of maneuvering to get out to where they could start driving. "Oh, I know what we could do. Once you get settled in we can have a superhero movie marathon!" he told Ivan, looking over excitedly. "The movies can give you basics for the comics in...well, a more understandable way as opposed to me blabbering on about them.

The sound of Alfred's laughter was a pleasing thing, like ripples in a sunlit pond after a pebble had been flicked across its surface, and caused the reflections it wore to dance merrily. Ivan decided that he wanted to hear that sound more often - it was nice, and did not contain a single malicious note or cadence. It was as though the American's very mirth was welcoming him, and it was easy to tell that he was being laughed with, not laughed at.

"Movies? If you think that it might help." Ivan answered, considering the prospect. "From the way that your face is lighting up, I am guessing that it will be fun. Ah, do you have popcorn? I think that someone once told me that it was best to eat popcorn when watching movies - I do not know who, though."

Continuing with his line of thought, it occurred to Ivan that he would not ordinarily think of visiting a new friend so soon - particularly seeing as a part of him always whispered that they didn't really care about him, that they were only pretending to be his friends so that he would not hurt them. It was ridiculous - he didn't want to hurt anyone - but the doubt had never gone away before. Perhaps he was finally becoming able to leave it behind? If that was so, it looked as though Alfred might be the key. As he mused over this matter, a look of contentment and carefree delight swept over his features, making him look more at ease than he had yet been after his arrival.

Somehow, the idea of superheroes seemed like a good fit for Alfred, although Ivan wasn't sure why he thought that. Maybe it was the blond's optimism and idealism? Or could it possibly be the boundless energy and enthusiasm that he exuded? Not that it really mattered - if it suited, then it suited, and that was that.

Like Alfred, he felt vaguely drawn to the idea of humans with great strength - and had occasionally had odd thoughts about what he would do with it if he possessed it. Things like wrenching off a steel pipe with a tap, for example, although he was never quite sure why he'd want it. Ah, well - people had always had peculiar thoughts and imaginings, and it wasn't unusual to wonder what one would do with extra abilities, so he tended to dismiss it.

"Ah, but you are not blabbering." Ivan put in, "I can understand what you have been saying." He clarified, smiling. "It will be interesting to see them in action, though. How many do you possess?"

"A movie's not a movie without the popcorn!" Alfred responded as he grinned over at Ivan for a bit before he looked back at the road just in time to take a turn. "I have plenty of popcorn and a decent-sized TV, so we should be pretty set to go. As for what movies I have," he began, laughing again, "I have just about all of them that are out so far. I've always had a fascination, or I guess it's more of an obsession, regarding superheroes. I'm not really sure why, but hey, everyone needs something to focus on I guess." He chuckled gently, shrugging idly.

"... Wow." Ivan responded, blinking. He hadn't expected quite that magnitude. "That is quite a lot. We will be spoilt for choice, da?" He could just about picture the film-lined shelves now - and if Alfred had this many movies on one particular subject, who knew how many he may have full stop? "There are certainly many worse things to become fixated on. You have your movies, I have my flowers, and we can be happy with those - others are not so lucky."

Ivan noted with a pleased little flutter somewhere within him that Alfred got his name very nearly right - he was clearly making an effort to pronounce it properly, and Ivan found that it touched him. Alfred would probably get the hang of it pretty quickly, he reckoned. This time, he didn't contest the blabbering issue, as it would be way too easy to put his foot in his mouth, and he simply accepted what was being said. It did make a kind of sense, and what Alfred mentioned about the variety sounded promising. "Then, if there are so many types, it is likely that there will be some that we can both enjoy~" He concluded aloud, rather pleased with his deduction.

"Video games? Ahh, I have played a game that had psychopathic plunger-wielding bunnies in it - does that count? Oh, and that nice one with all the animals that live in a town with you, and you buy things from a funny raccoon." As he was answering Alfred, Ivan noticed a building outside that looked as though it might be meant for many people. "Ah, is that the college?" He asked, distracted.

Alfred chuckled softly. "It's good for when you need to pass a large amount of time," he responded. "Oh they do count, yes, and if you like I also have video games I can introduce you to." He smiled a bit, finding more than a bit endearing at how Ivan spoke of Animal Crossing. "They're not all quite as gentle as Animal Crossing, which was the one with the animals and such."

"Well, I have heard that there are games that are full of fighting, but I have not played any. Is it okay to start with the cuter games that have fighting in? I am more used to the sweet characters, so it would be quite a jump to go at once to the realistic ones. I have heard of some with hedgehogs in, and some with dinosaurs and mushrooms - those sound nice." Ivan replied, having forgotten the names of the relevant games, but feeling the need to provide suggestions.

"Ah, I see it, I see it~" Ivan exclaimed happily, now a little reminiscent of an exuberant child himself. Ivan paused when Alfred spoke again, considering what had been said. "Ah, it would probably be better to check now, just in case. I do not know what I would be supposed to do if they will not tell me yet." He responded, considering it. "Hmm? That is very kind of you~ I wouldn't want to impose, but it is nice to have a back-up plan."

When Alfred qualified his previous statement, and Ivan realised what it was that his new friend was concerned that he'd infer, Ivan flushed a little and fidgeted with his scarf. "I assure you, I did not think that you would behave improperly - that would contradict everything that I have learned about you." He blustered awkwardly, "Besides, I may be assigned to a home-stay anyway, so if I need to stay with you a while, it could be good practice. Who knows? I may end up being told to stay with you anyway." It was not an unreasonable thought, considering how eager Alfred had sounded regarding the idea of foreign students arriving at his college, that he might be a candidate for home-stay host. Briefly, Ivan wondered how the other would react if that turned out to be the case.

Alfred seemed amused by Ivan's reaction to the Blue Devil logo and chuckled gently, cutting off his car. "Then while we're here let's go ahead and see if anyone you need to meet with is here," he responded, patting the other's arm lightly before he unbuckled his seatbelt and moved to get out, only to lean down and poke his head back into the car with a wide grin. "And hey, thanks for the vote of confidence. Don't get a whole lot of that in a college setting," he said with a quiet laugh. "Especially since most people seem to think all guys ever only think about getting into other people's pants." He shrugged a bit before he straightened up.

"As for cute fighting games, Super Smash Brothers might work, since it has some of the characters you mentioned," he responded, crossing his arms to tap his chin. "Yoshi, the dinosaur with the plumber in the Mario games...um, I don't think Sonic is in them since he's Sega and Mario is Nintendo, but there are plenty of similar games. Even just fun ones filled with different kinds of games." Then he grinned. "But yeah, starting you off on Super Smash Brothers seems like it would be a good idea. IT's in a cutesy kind of style, so I think you should like it."

"Ah, you are welcome?" Ivan responded, a little bit puzzled by Alfred's words, but pleased that he had reassured his new friend. "I do no tend to make such assumptions unless someone acts in a way that makes it seem likely. You seem far too nice to be thinking only of panties." Was college really full of people like that? Well, if Alfred's comment earlier about his accent was anything to go by, it just might be. He supposed that it was normal for young people to be looking for romance, but he'd never really paid it much attention in the past. While he was musing over this, he unbuckled himself and followed Alfred out of the car. He'd been patted again, and he was now beginning to suspect that it was a part of how this person interacted with others, and a way of communicating positive emotion. It was kind of reassuring, and he didn't really mind - it was just Alfred being a nice guy.

"Smash?" Ivan asked, smiling vaguely. He liked the sound of this game, and it seemed as though it would be filled with cute and funny characters to play as. "That sounds like fun, let's do that~" He replied, wondering what sort of things would be smashed - unless, of course, it was simply the other characters that got smashed. As he mulled over the idea of the game that Alfred had just told him about, he was following his friend away from where the car had been parked, figuring that the American would be able to show him the way. Having never set foot inside the building, he had no idea where anything was. Awesome? He wondered as he wandered, contemplating Alfred's statement. Is that because of me?

((Feel free to be as vague as you like about directions~))

Alfred grinned idly and stepped away from his car to start leading Ivan on, chatting idly with him and pointing out various things that they passed, as well as already starting to inform him of some of the campus rules that he'd need to know and what teachers to avoid annoying. He glanced forward every now and then to check his bearings and make sure he was going the right direction, but for the most part he'd had the main layout of the school memorized for a good while.

Ivan was relieved that Alfred was there to help him, as he felt certain that he would have ended up lost once again if he had attempted to navigate this place cold. Now, however, he was gaining useful insights into the place into the bargain, and he smiled and hummed vaguely to himself as he followed. Most of his nervousness had gone now, and he was actually looking forward to finding out what he was supposed to do next.

"Hmm? Da, that is right, very good~" Ivan responded, giving Alfred a smile. He'd been right - Alfred had picked it up quite quickly, almost as though he'd already had some experience with Russian names. Well, if he watched a lot of movies, perhaps he had - there were plenty of characters that came from his homeland, after all. For some reason, although he hadn't known Alfred for very long, he kept expecting him to call him Vanya - the primary, friendship-based diminutive of his name. Perhaps it was because he had wanted someone close enough to call him that for a while? He hadn't yet had many friends who he might have been called such by, not since he was little and adorable. How would he even explain Russian nicknames to Alfred anyway, come to think of it? What would he say in return? The name Alfred had no Russian equivalent, so he'd have to come up with something himself. Realising that he was wool-gathering, Ivan snapped his mind back to the here-and-now, hoping that he hadn't missed anything.

"Ah, yes, Mr Braginsky." One of the staff began, scrolling down a page on her computer. She hadn't quite got the name down pat, but it was close enough. "It says here that you're on the list for home-stay. Seeing as there were more candidates for host than there were foreign students, there's a choice available. Here is a list of people who have said that they would be willing to take in a foreign student - you must make your choice and register it here by the end of the day." As she spoke, the staff member passed over a piece of paper bearing the names and details of the people in question. Taking it, Ivan peered down the list, wondering whether he dared hope that his hunch had been correct. The tension was making him nervous again, until he spotted the name he had been looking for. "Jones!" He blurted, pointing to the entry. "Is this one you? It doesn't give the names in full, just with initialling, and is common name."

(Leaving it up to you whether Ivan ends up in Alfie's house, neighbourhood, or somewhere different. Edit: whoops, just saw your bracketed thing.)

((For the sake of cute and awkward possibilities later eue))

Ivan hadn't noticed Alfred tip-toe and take a peek, he'd been too focused on looking the list over himself, so he also missed the grin. His nervousness had only increased when Alfred had edged away from him, but when Alfred confirmed that the name on the paper was his, Ivan's face was split by a wide grin. "Ah, so it is you~ I pick you, then~" He beamed, very glad to be able to choose someone he had at least met.

After Ivan had proclaimed his choice, the staff registered it for him with clacking keyboards and clicking mice. "Lucky, da? Ah, you are bubbly, but that is fine with me. You are nice guy, and you talk to me - that is enough." Ivan responded, "Besides, we are friends now, da?" As he said this, he peered over at Alfred with his round purple eyes shining with relief and happiness, wondering what his friend thought of this. "Now you can definitely show me all of your hero movies, hmm?"

Alfred laughed again, bouncing lightly again. "It does indeed mean I get to show you my movies, assuming of course you don't get tired of them." Upon the Russian declaring them friends he nodded. "Of course we are!" he responded, tilting his head a bit. "Not just anyone gets to read my awesome comic books and have hero movie marathons," he responded, gently and playfully tapping the other's arm with a fist, his grin still indicating that it was a friendly maneuver. "Anyways, uh, do you have any luggage or anything that we should go get?" he asked, turning to start out of the office after waving to the ladies there. "Because we can go get that then head to the park for a while so we have it."

"Maybe," Alfred responded, taking a moment to pause and look both ways down the hallway. "Should we go back tot he office to ask and make sure? Because I mean there's kind of lockers everywhere, man." HE rubbed the back of his neck and looked up at Ivan sheepishly. That sounded like the smartest idea, but hey, Alfred didn't always choose the smartest ideas to go through with.