“Who are you when nobody is watching?”

Aspen is calloused, direct, assertive, and unpredictable. She has moulded to her world in the last two years in a way that makes it easy to assume she was born in the slums, dragged up in a brothel under the teachings of a Fury or two, or perhaps simply been an orphan who had no choice but to learn quickly or perish. Thinking her of good stock, or once the critical eye behind a sniper in the military isn’t likely to be anyone’s first assumption when meeting the woman. Aspen has a presence that some may consider intimidating, while others would simply label it as ‘off-putting’. Some choose to approach her with the same caution they’d give a particularly bad-tempered mongrel as it can be difficult to gauge her mood - to know which side of the weapon’s dealer you’re likely to get that day.

Despite this demeanour, Aspen is surprisingly not difficult to work with within the Clubs. After all, the woman has goals that need to be achieved and she is far too intelligent to allow pride and festering hatred to get in the way of business. In fact, she’s oddly pleasant to have regular dealings with. Charismatic, even, because as luck would have it - Aspen is a charismatic individual when need be. It’s this charisma that has bought her many contacts across districts, the Eclipse, and inside the military. Whether it’s built on genuine friendships before 2093, or earned through favours and thinly veiled blackmail, Aspen has built a web of connections to move her stock where it needs to go.

This charisma is a trap for the ignorant and gullible. Aspen can indict caution, disdain, and a murderous rumour or two just as much as she can charm, flirt, and lure another into a false sense of security. Many a bridge has been burnt when her loyalties were revealed. Never think for a second your wellbeing is more important than her own or that of the Clubs. The girl who once befriended others easily is no more. Her kindness comes with a price. Her assistance has strings attached. Her lust can be mistaken as love.

Two years ago her parents were executed, a lieutenant with a trigger finger after rumours spread that her father had been infected. Her mother was collateral damage and Aspen was written off as MIA. That night was what severely broke something already fragile inside of Aspen and left the girl who once dared to dream in ruins. Before that night, she was the girl with a file as thick as her arm for insubordination - but nothing serious enough to do any harm. She was a good little soldier, who also made sure to siphon medical supplies out to hospitals that needed it more than the military-grade ones. The girl who made friends with drifters and a few of the Eclipse. Who danced in the rain, and found joy in something as simple as a sunny day. Who loved her parents enough to bite her tongue, look straight ahead, and salute to the problem despite the whispered arguments that spun through their private residence. They were oppressed. It wasn’t right. They needed to work for a better cause than this.

She was right. It’d been too late.

Aspen’s always been high-spirited. A woman capable of feeling too deeply, too viciously. She spiralled in the first six months after that night, tearing through the world beyond the military’s walls till she carved a chunk out for herself. Settled on a purpose. Raw hatred sharpened. Her pain, dulled. The girl vanished, a ghost in the records forgotten. She certainly wasn’t the first young soldier to go missing. She was the first, however, who made a name for herself in the open without appearing to fear retribution.

She was the first that adopted the title of 'Morrigan' on the streets. A joke that followed her out of the compound and into the new chapter of her life as much more than a pet name for the military hellion. After all, Aspen's on a mission. And she means war.

“Do you even know what peace feels like?”