The Waterborne

Purpose / Function

For 8 months out of the year, the lake at Hilltop is home to a floating teahouse run by 3rd and 4th year Rangers as part of their education as party provisioners.

Contents & Furnishings

Tables: Old hardwood with the patina and dings of shipboard use. Beautiful in shape but relatively undecorated. Octagonal, with a two inch rim sticking up around the edge. Can be bolted high for casual cafe-style use, or low for ceremonial use.
Gimbals: Brass gyroscopic cup holders bolted to the tables for holding delicate, round bottomed ceramic cups level on the water.
Benches: Both collapsible and expandable, of the same material and age as the tables. The expansion can snap into place at 135, or 180 degrees from the main seat, to suit an octagonal or long table. The benches can also have the legs collapsed while the seat is expanded, turning the bench into a 4 inch high floor seat that can be cushioned.

Architecture

The Ranger students come together each spring to build a new Waterborne from locally hewn (and regrown, courtesy of the Druids) cottonwood trees. The basic structure is a wide raft with a round oilcloth pavilion, the sides of which are normally drawn back during operating hours to give the patrons a breathtaking view of the lake. There's a copper and lava rock fire pit at the center of the raft that serves as the core of a very simple and traditional human-style open galley, with smoke drawn up through a hole in the top of the pavilion. The teahouse itself is reached by temporary wooden pontoons. The furnishing inside is much older than the structure itself, and new every year.

History

The Waterborne as an institution is as old as the Ranger track at Hilltop (about 15 years), although the building itself is rebuilt every year. It is Maestro James' passion project and his reminder of home.

Tourism

Due to the secluded nature of the Hilltop campus, The Waterborne's chief patrons are students and faculty. However, the teahouse is open to the public by reservation. This is generally taken advantage of by school donors, alumni, employers looking for adventurers to hire upon graduation, and guests of the school. It's an ideal location for the school to show off, and provides an idyllic and uniquely human way to spend an afternoon, sipping tea, nibbling snacks, and watching the lake and the Lake Pavilion.

Type

Cafe / Tearoom

Parent Location

Hilltop Preparatory Academy

Related Tradition (Primary)