A harem of near-500 succubi is actually more manageable than one might expect, all things considered.
Lilith can't be everywhere at once, but she doesn't need to be- all her darlings can sense her, feel her love for them whenever they want. They know she cares more for them than anything else in all the realms.
And they're all more than happy to share. She tries to get some good one-on-one time with one or two a day if she's not busy; but spending time with groups, sleeping in cuddly piles of her loves- it's not very difficult for anyone who wants to be close to her to do so.
Even when it is, she's not the sole object of their affections. Her girls are happy to fraternize amongst themselves most days, some might even love eachother more than they love her! It's wonderful. Everyone is happy, nobody feels left out or neglected, life in her palace is smooth and comfortable.
Most of the time.
Most of the time, Lilith doesn't fuck herself up wrestling an angel instead of waiting a couple minutes for Lucy to handle it.
Most of the time, she doesn't have to manage four hundred and eighty-four succubi who are all worried sick and want to see her and dote on her and cuddle her and be reassured by her, specifically, right now, or they're going to wallow in their misery.
And they are wallowing. She can feel it, the deep funk that has settled into her palace like a heavy fog. There's no fooling around, or cavorting, or even coquettishness. Nobody's gone out on a summon since the angel fell.
It simply will not do.
Days of recovery in the lava spas and dozens of gifted souls from her worried darlings have her feeling almost back to normal. She probably shouldn't push herself too hard, but- Well, surely just a little couldn't hurt.
She rises from her woefully empty bed and stalks silently to her door, opening it to reveal a gaggle of succubi trying very hard not to seem like they're snooping on her.
"Mistress! Um-"
"Were you sleeping in there Mistress? I had no idea-"
"MISTRESSSSSSSSS ARE YOU OKAY DO YOU NEED ANYTHING I LOVE YOU-"
She draws the last to speak into a hug, and the others join in hesitantly when they see she isn't wincing at being touched anymore.
"I'm okay, Qintora, thank you." She says, and the demoness squeezes her tighter and chokes back a sob. "Girls, spread the word: Mistress is starting to feel better, and wants to spend some time with all her darlings. Everyone should gather at the orgy chamber for cuddles tonight. Got it?"
The succubi nod eagerly and scamper off to pass along the invitation. Lilith stretches languidly, and sets off to prepare for the night. As long as she takes it slow, her body should be able to handle it.
Lilith lounges in a pile of cushions as her concubines filter into the orgy chamber, all looking excited but nervous.
Her tail snakes down out of the pile, coils on and on and on until it reaches another lounging place, connects to another Lilith resting atop it.
And another, and another, and another- she numbers almost fifty of herself in all, connected together by a web of tails interwoven across the chamber floor.
Grezayla looks predictably bewildered as she sees them, still too new to have seen her flaunt this particular show of shapeshifting prowess before.
Everyone else, however, recognizes that this is rather subdued.
When Lilith's at her best, when she's using the orgy chamber for its intended function, she can usually manage at least one of herself for each of her darlings to play with. Essentially mindless ones, granted- driven by pure primordial appetites to rut and claim and devour- but still. Her transformations feel sluggish, difficult. If she ever sees that angel again, she'll make sure it regrets it.
But now is not the time for grumbling about infernal vengeance. Her girls are joining her, piling in to be close with each of her bodies. She has to focus, make sure that she can be a proper, doting mistress; fifty times over, simultaneously. This is their night, and she's going to make sure that each of them comes out of it free of any more worries.
"Mistress, you're- How are you- There's so many of you?" Says Grezayla, as she cozies up to one of her.
"Thank fuck you're okay Mistress, I was so worried when I heard you fought the angel." Mumbles Tinixi, burying her face in another's shoulder.
"Mistress it was so scary, it made me think all these bad things about myself..." Sniffles Zrixira, curling herself around another's arm.
"A trifle, while I'm still resting. I'll show you just how many of me there can be, once I'm recovered." She says. "You can learn it too, it's just very difficult. We had five Azzies once, but they were all rather uncoordinated."
"I'm okay, Tini. Everyone is okay, thanks to you. My good girl..."
"Mistress, we all missed you so much!" Whines Jaentia, hugging one of her midsections tightly. "Never get hurt again, okay?"
"I know, Zrixi. Don't even think about what it made you think, it's nonsense."
"If any more angels show up we all agreed we're gonna beat their asses!" Says Vylona, pumping her fists resolutely.
"Do you need more souls, Mistress?" Asks Aezorim, eyes full of worry. "We can get more!"
"Ah- Vy- wait. Jaentia, darling, I'll try. Don't worry about me."
"Vylona do not under any circumstances do that. Call me and Lucy. Aezorim, I don't-"
"MISSSTREEEESSSSSSSSS-" Sobs Qintora, clinging to one of her heads.
"Aezorim, I don't need more souls, thank you, you've all been very kind. I'm feeling practically good as new." Lilith says, squinting and blinking rapidly to clear her heads.
"Mistress it tried to make me think I was wrong to come down here-"
"I was so scared when we couldn't find you after-"
"Dearests, I-" Lilith grunts, through gritted teeth. Her heads pound, trying to hold all these conversations at once.
"The angel said I was-"
"And we couldn't see you-"
"Are you sure you're-"
"Darlings!" She snaps with all her mouths, as several of her cradle her heads. "I... Just, slower, okay? I can't... We have all the time in the world to talk, just, please slower."
Dozens of her succubi begin bawling, worried that she's still hurt and they made it worse.
"No, dearests, oh no don't cry-" She coos as she tries to comfort them all.
Days pass in there, slowly working through everyone's worries until they're all relaxed and drift into sleep. Lilith feels better too, having done so. Not perfect, but close enough to it. Feeling that her darlings are calm and happy is good for her vile heart.
Lucy appears in the center of the chamber, wings gently carrying her over the mass of tails.
"Lilith."
"Lucy." Lilith says, gently shifting one of herself to sit up without disturbing her sleeping succubi. "What is it?"
"You seem well." Lucy says, peering over the room. "Will you all be returning to work now?"
"I think so."
"Good, good." She says, as if her mind is elsewhere. "I have something I'd like to put under your purview, if you're up for it."
"Of course." Lilith says, further extracting herself to stand with Lucy.
"The angel-"
"No." She immediately interrupts, and Lucy sighs.
"Hear me out-"
"No! Not a chance! Lucy, you saw what it did-"
"Lilith. I would not do this without cause." Lucy states flatly, and Lilith frowns but holds her tongue.
"It insists it hasn't fallen, that this is all a test."
"It can insist whatever the fuck it wants, you can sense it as well as I can."
"I can." She says, nodding. "It fell to your circle for a reason, Lilith. These things don't just happen, maybe you can-"
"We're the highest circle. Maybe it got stuck."
"Lilith." Says Lucy sternly, and she huffs. "I'm not telling you to be its best friend. But I know exactly how much it hurts to fall, and you know better than most. It needs someone to help it acclimatize, accept that it can be happy here. Just- try to figure out what it wants, okay?"
"...It had better fucking behave." Lilith grumbles.
"It will."
"I mean it."
"It will." Lucy insists. "Tell me when you're ready, I'll bring it by."
And with that she vanishes, and Lilith snuggles the body that had been speaking with her back into the loving embrace of the succubi surrounding it, clutches just a little tighter with all of her arms.
