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A Safe Place To Try Out Being Sexy PRESENTLY MONARCH AND JOURNALIST alike are riveted by the sight of bodacious dominatrix Camilla teetering down the sidewalk in high heels and a cat suit with studs in all the most interesting places. By the time she's walked half a block past gathering Kindred to the clock tower for a photo shoot, she's a minor celebrity. "Camilla" actually is 19-year-old Valerie Hazen, a UCSC lit student. With her warm brown eyes, auburn hair and youthful sex appeal, she reminds me that this game crackles with more than its share of sexual energy. All those masters and mistresses dressed in all that black, and Camilla isn't the only vampire in a cat suit. Like other players have mentioned, this is a safe place to try out things like being sexy. One player is quick to point out that Storyteller David Vignola won't tolerate sexual harassment in game, which makes it an even safer environment for experimentation. Valerie tells me that Camilla is quite old, actually, and spends a lot of time in France, where she runs a high-class call girl service. "That's because I haven't been playing much in the past two months," she explains sheepishly. "This is a latex cat suit," she offers. "I love being photographed, and I'm not afraid to drop my clothes." There won't be any need for that, Ms. Camilla, but thank you. And why, pray tell, do you play Masquerade? "Why do I like this?" she repeats rhetorically. "It's fantasy. It's so not my real life. My character's a cunning, evil bitch!" she exults. Her reply echoes the answer of almost everyone who's out under this nearly full moon, playing a complex role in an intricate theater of the imagination. They do it for fun, for the chance to be glamorous or powerful or deranged. They do it to escape the stultifying dullness of television and movies, and because the bars and coffeehouses are jammed with people whose imaginations are paralyzed by repetitive jobs and stupefying entertainment. In short, they do it because they like to play, and playing, after all, is what keeps our spirits alive. BACK/ FIRST - GALLERY