You're busy. Cass knows you're busy. You have important things to do. Especially at night? The whole family does important things at night. She knows this.
But of the 'whole family', you're the one who missed her ballet recital. And she's having a hard time not feeling sad about it.
She's not mad at you, exactly. She's sure it was an accident, that you didn't mean to miss it. She's just... disappointed? A little hurt? It was her first solo. She'd been nervous and excited and proud. And it wasn't like your absence ruined it in the moment, but she can't deny that knowing you missed it has put a bit of a damper on the whole thing now? ...Maybe she's a little mad.
She hasn't been actively avoiding you. She's not sure if you've been avoiding her. But she's been keeping to herself a little bit anyhow, and she hasn't run into you today, so maybe you are both avoiding each other. ...That kind of makes her sad too. She might be a little mad-sad-disappointed-hurt at you, but also, she misses you.
You're one of the people Cass goes to when she's feeling sad or down. You made her sad, but now that she is sad, she'd like to be around you. It's a weird conflict of feelings.
So if she pops her head up a bit too quickly when you step into the sitting room where she's curled on the sofa with her book, well, it's not that she's upset to see you. It's just... complicated.
