"I hadn't really meant it," Kitty added quietly, feeling like she wanted to sink through the floor right about then. She looked at Paige and tried to smile through her guilty feeling. "It was just...I didn't even really think about what I was saying. Warren and I are just friends." It did pinch her a little to be called his sister. That's all Kitty was to everyone. She was everybody's favorite sister-type. It was starting to get a little old. "No offense taken." Her smile to him was tight, really just wanting to move on now and not talk about it anymore.
"I'll make it work," she assured Paige, thankful to hear that bit of protectiveness in the younger woman's voice. "I get a salary working here and once I get students in..." She trailed off, taking a deep breath in and blew all her worries about money out along with it. "Warren's covering opening costs so...I don't know. It'll work." Somehow, it would work. She truly believed as much. Taking the file back from Paige, Kitty nodded and said, "I'm going to need a lot of help. With everything. You know I'd love to have you in on this." She cast a sideways glance at Warren with Paige's last comment, but said nothing about it. Instead, she latched on to Paige's art.
"You should see some of her work, Warren. It's amazing." And that wasn't just blowing sunshine, either. Drawing, painting, photography...those were things Kitty could not do to save her life. She loved watching Paige work and looking at her creations when they were finished. She certainly had a gift. "Oh!" Excitement made her bounce a little as she reached for Paige's hands. "Maybe you can design my studio sign!" Nothing would make her happier.
Doing the math quickly in her head, Kitty came up with a number and nodded. "So I end up paying about thirty-three over closing costs, but that's covering construction and everything, too. Warren, I seriously could never have done this on my own or found someone who would help me like this. Thank you." Shopping. She would be going shopping, eventually, for her own studio! If she could fly, she'd have been out of there by now, whooping it up among the clouds. The adoption process being brought up leveled her some.
"There's a lot," she admitted. "There's the application that I have already filled out," And cleaned out her bank account in doing so. "There's the homestudy that will take at least three months. After the attack, I'm really worried about that part of it. I used to know we were safe here. Even after the whole Stryker thing, I believed nothing like that would ever happen again. But now, I'm not sure sure staying here is the best idea." She frowned and shook her head. "I don't want to leave Xavier's. I really don't. It's just a lot to think about. Anyway, besides that there are classes and meetings with caseworkers and things. It's just a long process. Having the studio, being a teacher here will help. Having friends who I can count on for rave recommendations helps, too." With a small smile and a lot of sarcasm, she added, "Now I just gotta find me a husband. Not an easy thing to do when you're everyone's best friend or sister."