Social Class Markers: Reading the Room
In 2184, class isn't hidden—it's displayed. Every aspect of a person's appearance, behavior, and access immediately signals their position in the hierarchy. Reading these markers is a survival skill. The Dregs resident who mistakes an executive for approachable, or the executive who fails to identify a dangerous operative, can find themselves in lethal situations.
The Class Hierarchy
The defining characteristic is absence—no registration, no records, no network presence. They exist in the gaps of the system.
Street workers, salvagers, bottom-rung registered citizens. Functional, worn, repaired—everything has a purpose.
Appearance
- Salvaged clothing, patches visible
- Basic neural interface (decades old)
- Visible augmentation scars
- Signs of hard living
Behavior
- Alert, survival-efficient movement
- Direct eye contact with peers
- Averted with authority
- Slang-heavy speech
Entry-level corporate employees, small business operators. Corporate ID always visible. Standardized rather than individual.
Appearance
- Corporate uniform or affordable civilian
- Single corporate logo (employer)
- Current-gen basic interface
- Baseline healthy appearance
Behavior
- Transit-grid efficient movement
- Corporate-appropriate language
- Careful neutrality on politics
- Aware of surveillance
Senior employees, successful independents. Quality fabric, current fashion, subtle corporate affiliation. Beginning to appear younger than actual age.
Appearance
- Quality fabric, tailored fit
- Professional-grade enhancements
- Cosmetic optimization beginning
- Appear 5-10 years younger
Behavior
- Confident, purposeful movement
- Priority transit access
- Code-switching between registers
- Evaluating eye contact
Bespoke tailoring, designer originals. Physical perfection that looks natural. The "Helix Eye"—silver iris ring—signals membership in the elite club.
Appearance
- Bespoke, responsive fabric
- Executive-grade optimization
- Engineered pheromone production
- Look 35-45 regardless of age
Behavior
- Unhurried, space-claiming
- Private transport, no waiting
- Silence as power signal
- Commanding eye contact
Beyond fashion—statements. Technology and biology merged into aesthetic. Bodies rebuilt rather than enhanced. Age is a choice. Appearance is a design decision.
Appearance
- Unique pieces, nowhere else
- Transcendence-grade augmentation
- Post-human bodies
- Sometimes unsettling
Behavior
- Responses precede stimuli
- Presence changes the room
- Eye contact avoided by others
- Communication on multiple levels
Quick Reference Chart
Augmentation Quality Indicators
Budget Installation
- Visible scarring at interface points
- Asymmetrical placement
- Audible servo noise during movement
- Visible lag between intent and action
- Skin discoloration around implants
- Frequent recalibration fidgeting
Professional Installation
- Clean integration, minimal scarring
- Smooth, natural movement
- No visible components
- Consistent performance
- Healthy tissue interface
- Enhanced but natural-appearing
Executive/Elite Installation
- Enhancement invisible until deployed
- Capabilities exceed apparent hardware
- Biological-technological merger
- Proprietary systems (unfamiliar)
- Uncanny smoothness in all functions
Speech Stratification
Dregs Speech
- Heavy slang, district-specific
- Profanity as punctuation
- Direct, efficient communication
- Physical gestures supplement verbal
- Pre-Cascade languages preserved
Corporate Speech
- Standardized vocabulary
- Industry jargon precise
- Emotional neutrality
- Careful political correctness
- Passive voice for deflection
Executive Speech
- Precision without jargon
- Comfortable silence
- Questions as statements
- Implications over declarations
- Economy of words = status
Social Interaction Protocols
Who Speaks First
Equal Status
Either party may initiate
Lower to Higher
Wait to be acknowledged before speaking
Higher to Lower
May initiate at will, expect immediate response
Cross-Class (3+ tiers)
Lower party should not initiate without urgent cause
Eye Contact Duration
The Pheromone Factor
Executive-tier optimization includes engineered pheromone production. This creates unconscious discomfort when lower-tier individuals get too close—enforcing distance without explicit demand.
Faction-Specific Markers
Nexus Dynamics
Status Tell: Quality of neural interface visible in response time, multitasking, and subtle eye movements of data processing.
Ironclad Industries
Status Tell: Physical capability focus—strength augmentation, durability mods, hands-on competence.
Helix Biotech
Status Tell: Biological perfection gradient—the more optimized the appearance, the higher the status.
The Collective
Status Tell: Adaptive capability—the ability to move between tiers without triggering suspicion indicates Collective training.
Deliberate Deception
Up-Dressing
Appearing higher status than actual.
Risks:
- Checkpoint failures (biometrics don't match)
- Protocol violations (not knowing behaviors)
- Debt flagging (can't sustain appearance)
- Violence (perceived as threat or fraud)
Down-Dressing
Appearing lower status than actual.
Reasons:
- Information gathering
- Freedom of movement
- Avoiding unwanted attention
- Operational security
The Tells
Even skilled actors often reveal themselves:
- Movement patterns (efficiency vs. expansion)
- Eye contact habits (hard to fake pheromone response)
- Speech register (deep vocabulary reveals education)
- Stress responses (different tiers handle pressure differently)
Dangerous Misreadings
Warning Signs of Operatives: Stillness suggesting combat augmentation. Eyes tracking too many things. Hands staying clear of body. Clothing that conceals rather than displays. Speech patterns that don't match apparent tier.
"First thing I learned on the street: look at the chrome. Not what they've got—how they've got it. Budget install, you're talking to someone desperate. Clean work, corporate money behind them. Too clean, too integrated? That's when you need to decide fast whether you're running or fighting, because nobody looks that good without being dangerous." — Dregs salvager, teaching a newcomer to read the room