Heartwarming / The Arcana

Per wiki policy, Spoilers Off applies here and all spoilers are unmarked. You Have Been Warned.

Main Characters

Asra

• Asra genuinely cares about the apprentice whether you romance him or not, even offering to give the apprentice a shoulder to cry on if you chose to romance Julian and decide to talk to Asra about what's bothering you after Julian promptly breaks up with the apprentice. This also happens if you choose to romance Lucio, who Asra loathes, showing that even sad/angry with this choice, he still cares for the apprentice and helps them with Lucio's quest to discover what truly happened to him.
• If you do decide to romance Asra, he slowly reveals that you two were already a couple years ago, much to the apprentice's confusion.
  • He later reveals that the two of you have known each other for over ten years. He still fondly remembers the first time he met you at a Masquerade.
• There are plenty of moments where Asra becomes flustered over the apprentice's safety, and if you choose to still pursue a challenge, he doesn't hesitate to back you up.
• If you choose the option to go to Asra's realm, you see how much Asra wants to get closer again to the apprentice and to show how much he cares for them.
• When Asra isn't around, Faust usually provides good company for the apprentice (usually at Asra's request).
• Before his match with Muriel in the Coliseum he requests a "token of affection" for good luck.
• Though also a huge Tear Jerker the fact that Asra was willing to give part of his own heart to bring the Apprentice back to life speaks volumes about how much he cares for them.
  • Just as powerful is what he did for the Apprentice afterwards. It's mentioned that they forgot everything when Asra resurrected them, not just personal details and memories, but even basic skills like walking and talking. He more or less had to raise them, a lot like someone taking care of a loved with catastrophic injuries or dementia.
• Asra when he finds his parents were alive this whole time.

Nadia

• Nadia shows concern and respect towards everyone in the palace, leading many, including Portia to be very caring towards the Countess and worried over her nightmares.
  • She even extends this towards animals, wondering if she should send the vampire eels back to their more suitable habitat, and even purchases a cheetah from a secret market beneath the Coliseum in order to release it back into the wild.
• When traveling around the city and you come upon the city where the plague was, Nadia is baffled at how little the nobles were actually doing for the people and she swears that she will make changes once she returns.
• If you choose to romance Nadia, she shows an incredibly vulnerable and soft side towards the apprentice, talking about her life before losing her memory, and even opening up about her worries or fears to the apprentice.
  • Even Portia notices this. There's a moment when she subtly suggests doing something terrible to you if you hurt Nadia, but immediately drops it and knows you wouldn't break her heart.
• Nadia's sisters. Despite how much she claims to hate them for all of their pampering when she was younger, she later on does admit to admiring her sisters from coming out so far just to see her.
• When her sisters meet Nadia and the apprentice in the ballroom, Nadia calls you her "partner", two times.
  • The way she was about to address you, it almost sounded like she was going to call you her lover, but then quickly chose a different word while being flustered.
• When a returned Lucio goes off to harass Nadia, even bringing up how now that you were out of the way, he could rekindle their relationship, the paid option has the apprentice use what little power they have in a wind spell to make the curtains flap the flames high until it goes onto one of Lucio's last portraits.
  Choice option: This is for Nadia, you ass!
• As Lucio begs for you to help him break his contract with the Devil, Nadia is protective of the apprentice and suggests that Lucio beg a little more for being so rude to you. When you do decide to help, one of the options says a lot about your relationship with Nadia.
  "I'm doing it for Nadia, not for you."

Julian

• Despite Julian being branded a murderer, he's still a doctor and doesn't hesitate to help the apprentice when they fall into an aqueduct with eels. He uses his power to ease the bleeding, and transfer it to himself.
• Most of the people in the town protect Julian, not telling anyone of his whereabouts, or simply looking the other way, so that he isn't caught by the guards.
• Portia seeing Julian at your shop and immediately tackles her brother into a hug, asking him where he's been and how he's been hiding this whole time, while completely in tears.
• Mazelinka telling you how Julian always crash at her place, since they know each other for so long, and telling the apprentice how much of a positive impact they're having on Julian (adding that he needs someone like they by his side).
• Julian growth as a character if you choose to romance him is the most visible of all routes, which is emphasized in his Upright Ending, where he overcomes all his self-harming and learns to trust the ability of those around him; finally learning to accept help when needed and letting people take care of him too.

Muriel

• When the city becomes too overwhelming for Muriel, you can offer to take him somewhere else or hold his hand. When he asks why you're doing this, you can gently point out he looks uncomfortable and you want to make him feel safe.
• You have the option to buy him a warm woolen scarf, since you notice that he never won/bought anything. When he asks you why, you're allowed to tell him;
  Choice option: You deserve nice things.
  • Even visible confused and embarrassed, he is grateful to you for that in the end.
• While he's not happy with the people of Vesuvia seeking refugee at his hut, he manages to get a few words in and even smiles warmly at a child who's holding one of the chickens that walk around freely.
• There's the paid option where you and Muriel walk into the woods to see the heart of the forest slowly regrowing itself. Despite the fact that the tragedy started here, life is being sprung anew, which gives Muriel hope.
• Muriel teasing the apprentince when they talk to Inana like a dog and he pretends they've said something profane, only to laugh moments later to the apprentice's shock.
• Muriel admits the night before the raid that he's never cared what happened to him the next day since it could be his last. But after meeting the apprentice, he's scared of what'll happen and wants to be able to see the next days with you by his side.

Portia

• Portia admits her secrets to you, telling you that she wrote invitations to Nadia's sisters to come to the Masquerade, even though she pretended that she didn't know how to read or write. She admits that she doesn't know why she keeps so many secrets, but is glad she you that anyway.

Lucio

• Despite the many horrible things Lucio did in other routes, you gotta admit it's cute to see him acting all happy and giddy around his dogs. It is implied in other routes too that the Count of Vesuvia love animals, and he shows a very different side of him to the apprentice when finally talking/dealing with them.
• Unlike in the other routes, where Lucio is a horrible and selfish person (aka. jerk), in his own route he starts to show a very charming and thouchy persona, since the apprentice is compelled to "hear" his side of the story.

Other

• Several character interactions during the minigame Heart Hunter. It's nice to see the characters out and about, just enjoying life to the fullest.