I can get you some when we get to the city. That's a thing with humans, right? It's not with us, so you're fine. 

Malak snorts. If everyone who said they didn't kill people in their sleep could be taken at their word the world would be a better place. They don't try to broadcast it but Curufin's companion probably hears anyway. They curl up in a fetal position, covers their face with grass, and very quickly drift off to sleep.

He actually meant the nudity taboo, not the not killing people in their sleep, but he pats Huan and keeps watch for the sleeping human and watches Lúthien and Curufin disappear over the horizon.

Malak wakes well before dawn, given when they went to sleep, slightly but not terribly surprised. The protection spells at the surface of their mind have gotten loose with sleep.  Malak sits up and starts meditating, sweeping away the protection spells and starting to assemble a language one in their place. Thank the gods they have most of the foundations for that already, it would be awful to have nothing but telepathy to talk with until Curufin picked up Kalziran or Malak picked up whatever these people call their language.

They can have some more food in the meantime.

And, a couple hours later, they open their eyes.

"Hi. I'm terribly sorry about all that, and about hurting your dog--if I actually did, they seemed pretty resilient--I suspect you probably have a lot of questions and if you do I'd be happy to answer those first, but also where the hells am I?"

"Oh, and I've been thinking about places I might be and even though the relatively nice lady yesterday denied it I'm not totally convinced, so, are you quite sure you're not my mother?"

"...Or cousin or something I suppose that's probably much more likely given your apparent gender, though I'd be surprised if there are that many of us."

"Oh, I was supposed to be answering your questions. Sorry."

"You don't know who your mother is? And you did hurt Huan but not badly, he's got a prophecied death so he's not scared of much, this is the river Sirion about a hundred miles south of Tol-in-Gaurhoth, and Curvo'll have the questions, I just want you to swear you don't serve Melkor."

...

"I don't know who Melkor is, but I swear on...hm. I swear on my life and my magic and my love for my sister that I am not knowingly serving Melkor, and I further swear that I intend no harm to you, your companions, the woman with whom I was travelling, or the secret cave-city she was looking for. I hope this is sufficient, as I am reluctant to swear anything more exacting given my complete ignorance as to who you or your friends or this Melkor person are."

"Yep, that works. You wanna go? You can have my shirt or something if you're going to go find humans."

"I thought there was some Curvo person who wanted to ask me questions?  Are you not human? And really it's pants that are more important, I'm used to people reacting a bit more strongly to the lack of genitals than you have so far. Though I guess if you're releasing me I could just change shape again."

"Curvo would absolutely love to ask you questions but we're not stupid enough to take a prisoner with unknown magic to Nargothrond, so if you wanna go you can go. I don't want to ride a horse pantsless so you can't have those. And I've never seen a human naked so I thought that was maybe a human thing, is it not?"

"...Not where I'm from. But, uh, do your humans look like this?" They gesture to their face and tail, "Because humans where I'm from look a lot like you do. Your caution is understandable and commendable. Do you happen to know which way it is to some humans? And, if you're not human, what are you?"

And Malak is in human shape again, this time female.

"Nah, our humans don't look like that, a Maia who was trying for human and messed up for some reason might look like that, or the Enemy could've fucked you up but you'd probably be more fucked up if he had, or you could be some new and exciting variety, humans come in different colors and stuff. I like the tail. I think there're some living in Brethil? Forest, thataway, don't try to evade the gives-you-a-headache-to-walk-this-way magic or you'll wander into Doriath and Doriath'll shoot you."

"...Maia? Is that what you are?  And you can change shape? What else? Sorry if I'm asking too many questions, I can go look for those humans--You just seem like you're more knowledgeable and interesting than they'd be."

Malak is annoyed at missing the chance to see this hidden city, especially now that they know the nearby humans live in the woods. Cities are interesting, small logging villages less so.

"You can still come to Nargothrond if you'd rather, I'm just not insisting or anything - I'm not a Maia. Huan's a Maia -" nodding at the dog. "They can change shapes, but it takes them centuries usually to build a new one well enough they can shift to it at will."

"...What. No offense, but it seems that if you've concerned about the security of your secret city it is monumentally stupid to be more willing to take free strangers there than people you've captured and are presumably intending to keep contained.  It's... You know, I'm just going to shut up now.  I would love to see your secret city if you will permit it."

Malak is not usually this talkative, especially not about why people shouldn't give them things they want, they really need to pull themself together.

"You swore you're not working for the Enemy, and I can read your mind, and mysterious new magic is potentially a really big advantage too, and I'm not all that constrained in containing you, Huan can just follow you around."

Malak does not give any further objections. 

"Where I'm from at least, mind-reading is considered rather rude and I have had some personal bad experiences with it and would strongly prefer that you do not do it to me." And they fall back into their normal shape and start walking in the same direction that Curufin departed yesterday.

He stands up too. "Where are you from?"

"Originally, Tylantia, by way of Qinshu and Sternhill. In Bael Turath, the Jade Dragon Empire, and Kalzir, respectively. I didn't recognize any of the places you mentioned, do you know any of these? I was hit by a spell and then I wound up here. The woman you found me with: Human, Maia, or whatever you are? Same question for Curufin, Curvo, and this Doriath person."

"Lúthien's half-Maia half-Elf-like-me, Doriath is a place, Curufin is my brother and Curvo is his nickname, never heard of any of those places."

"How is a place going to shoot--Oh, it has inhabitants, I suppose. You could have phrased that more clearly. Where I'm from has elves, their ears are pointier and they vary more in skin tone than humans. Tend to look like their environments, ones that spend a couple centuries in a city turn a lovely shade of brick-red.  Probably why they don't like cities much, or human cities at any rate."

Malak goes quiet, as their thoughts turn back to Sternhill and Istiell and how they got here.

"Elves around here don't like human cities because they're really ugly and noisy and smelly. I could change my skin color if I wanted to, but it won't change if I don't want it to and I don't actually know how I'd pull off brick-red."

"Mm. It isn't your color." And, a few moments later, "If you intend to keep reading my mind I would prefer to know. And should I expect that everyone around here has that ability, or is that just you and your brother and Lúthien?"

"Nah, all Elves have it, it's rude here too but -" he waves his hands - "apocalyptic war, better safe than sorry, I can't promise people won't do it when they meet you even if it's rude. I won't."