too lazy to log in but I go by lostinafeeling on this site even though I'm LW. Anyway...

This seems pretty accurate when compared to what the diector had said about Aaeru and her background. In the staff commentary of the DVD, Noshimyra had said tha Aaeru has seen more in her lifetime than anyone else. He continues to say that she's not a negative person but a realist who knows all about the harsh realities of war but she chooses not to let it get to her. And while she's this outsider to everybody else, people also see her as this heretic like her jichan. He goes on to say that she doesn't care what people think about her.

You seem to understand Aaeru's perspective quite well.