i. Babysitter
As an android receptionist created for the sole purpose of aiding and assigning adventurers their commissions, Katheryne Monstadt did her work ever so dilligently and without fault.
Should any adventurer face a problem in their line of work, Katheryne was there to provide counsel and supports. In all her years of serving, never had she received complaints from unsatisfactory works. Everything she did was perfect.
The pride she reveled on for so long however eventually met its match.
Among the many frequenters of her counter, there used to be one old adventurer who she had assigned for a commission outside of Monstadt. The adventurer never made it back, but he left a bundle of white hair that the men of the guild quickly doted upon.
They named the baby Bennett. And Katheryne suddenly wasn't just a receptionist, but apparently babysitter as well.
Guilmaster Cyrus only laughed when she passed him her thoughts.
ii. Sleep
With the adventurers on commissions or otherwise unavailable, the job of taking care of Bennett fell into Katherye's laps.
For one, she for the first time needed to sit behind her counter instead of standing. Babies weren't built for fall, and sitting proved much more efficient in conserving her balance while carrying him.
While her job as the guild's receptionist retained its perfect streak, the same couldn't be said for her newer assignment.
"Waaaa!" The baby thrashed and wailed in her arms, kicking the air in obvious frustration. Yet, she didn't understand what he could be frustrated over.
Visitors coming to her booth noted his crying, but it wasn't until Marjorie stepped up that Katheryne managed to do more than just asking the baby to activate his sleep protocol.
"Here, let me hold him."
Kartheryne handed the baby and watched how easily Marjorie coaxed him back to sleep. The woman gently rocked him close to her chest, a melody humming from her lips to his scalp. Before soon, Bennett was back in Katheryne's arm, sound asleep.
"Singing helps babies sleep?" She studied the bundle in her arms in wonder.
"It calms them down," Marjorie explained.
Katheryne burned the information into her memory file alongside the image of the sleeping baby Bennett sucking on his thumb.
iii. Sick
Bennett was crying again, and no amount of rocking seemed to help him calm down.
Marjorie had given her lists of things that would bring a baby discomfort, but she couldn't discern which one was causing him to sweat so much than usual.
In the end, she left her post at the guild's counter and looked for help.
"Marjorie. I'm sorry for interrupting but I require your assistance," she said after finding the woman in her shop pausing mid-bite, a piece of cake stuck in his mouth. Guildmaster Cyrus was there as well for their father-daughter tea time.
"Yes?" Marjorie asked, voice muffled.
"Bennett is sick."
Guildmaster handed her a cup of tea to help her swallow her food and immediately rushed towards Katheryne. Marjorie quickly joined as well, checking over the baby.
"He's burning," Marjorie said after placing the back of her palm over the boy's forehead. "Dad, get me a wet cloth and a water basin. Katheryne, I'll hold him."
Katheryne reluctantly obeyed, finding herself once more useless for something she herself was tasked for.
"He has a fever?" She asked after Marjorie set him down on the shop's counter over a pillow.
Marjorie nodded, checking his temperature again. "We'll keep him here. It's much better than being outside under the sun."
"I see... I wish I couldn've at least noticed what was making him upset."
Marjorie smiled. "It can't be helped. You can't really tell temperature difference after all."
"I will be able to."
"Huh?"
"I'll ask for an upgrade. That way I can look after him myself if this happens again," Katheryne said while looking over the crying boy. Marjorie didn't say anything and only nodded at her response.
"Here's the cloth." Guildmaster returned from the back of the shop. He and Katheryne watched as Marjorie dabbed water on Bennett's skin and resting the wet cloth over his forehead. After awhile, he calmed down and fell asleep.
"I never knew looking after a child could be so difficult," Katheryne said softly so as to not wake disturb him.
"It's a tough job, especially if you're a single parent." Guildmaster nodded while putting a hand over Marjorie's shoulder. Marjorie rolled her eyes at the silent communication they were having. That was the father-daughter bond, Katheryne supposed, even if she couldn't understand it.
"I'll do my best regardless." Katheryne looked at Bennett's now peaceful sleeping face, determined.
iv. First Words
"Sisters, I require assistance," Katheryne announced to the network that connected all Katherynes from the seven nations. She let them read her thoughts to best explain her predicament.
"You wish to better be a child's caregiver. This proves difficult," Fontaine replied, a blub resounding in the shapeless virtual space.
"I had thought it to be a simple matter, but experiencing it myself covinced me that I am ill-equipped to nurse such a young child."
Like water flowing and filling empty spaces, so did the voice of her Fontainian sister. "I will have to look over our library to see if we have books pertaining to it. I will come back to you."
"I appreciate your help."
Another voice resounded. "I will ask the other adventurers in my guild for advice," like rocks crumbling and colliding against each other, Liyue made her thought known.
"Thank you."
And then like a sprouting leaf reaching for the barest warmth of sunlight, Sumeru addressed her in what she inferred as a cheery greeting, a behavior uncommon among the Katherynes.
"Did you know you sound like the wind, so boundless and free like birds floating high in the sky?"
"Hello to you too, Sumeru."
"Heehee, professional as usual. But fret not, Monstadt. I know just what you need."
It was an instant transfer, data upon data on parenting and child-development uploaded into her computer.
If she could smile in the virtual space, Katheryne would've done so.
"Thank you, Sumeru. Bennett will appreciate it."
"So Bennett is his name. I shall remember it." Sumeru's laugh dinged in the space before she logged off, leaving Katheryne alone when her other sisters followed suite as well.
With her newly acquired knowledge, she disconnected herself from the network to focus on the boy himself. It was another bright day today, and he had finally recovered enough to lie out in the open again.
"Good morning, Bennett," she said when the boy fluttered his eyes open. He reached out a hand that she reciprocated by giving him a finger. The new upgrades had given her a sensation in her hands, allowing her to feel his warmth flowing into her.
"Ma," he said so softly from his drowsiness she almost thought she misheard. It was when he said it again that she realized it was his first word. "Ma. Mama. Mama."
According to Sumeru's child-development data, a baby's first word came about when they figured out the easiest sound they could make with their mouth. On the parenting files, it was said that parents regarded their child's first word as a magical moment.
In a way, it was magical watching a baby who couldn't even speak yesterday was now beginning to discover the nonexistent limit of his body. Before soon, he'd crawl and walk on his own. But that was still a long way to go. She'd watch him all the way through regardless.
Bennett continued to play with the word, chortling and bouncing in place as he repeated it. Eventually, the sound shifted and he discovered a new word, if it could be considered that.
"Na... Naaa..." He strained his face, as if forcing the words to come out. She watched him, curious what he'd say next. "Nana. Nada. Nada..."
It was as if he'd realized something when that particular sound rolled on his tongue and began to shout. "Nadda! Nadda! Nadda!"
When she thought he'd finally achieved what he wanted, he spoke out one last "Naidda!" before finding himself laughing again.
Katheryne smiled. It must be fun learning to speak. But it was also tiring if Bennett's yawn was anything to go by.
"Good job, Benny," she said, following the advice from a parenting book in the files. Shows of affection and encouragement went a long way to raise a happy child. "Do you want to sleep now?"
He responded by closing his eyes, his mouth muttering silent words only he understood.
"Sweet dreams," she said and left him alone to attend to visitors of her booth.
Bennett's dads were mentioned a lot in his backstories, and so are characters like Fischl and Barbara. What I find interesting however is Katheryne's presence there as well.
The only other mentions of her in other characters' story are in Sucrose and Nahida's, but it's only in Bennett's story that she's depicted as an active figure. Perhaps even a maternal one.
And that's how Apparently Babysitter came about :v