Pink

It turned out Xavier could manage regular food. He seemed to have no idea about cutlery and used his hands, but as Joe opened his mouth to remonstrate with him about table manners, Kim stopped him with a quick glance and a shake of her head. They watched him taste solid food for the first time. He picked up a small chip and put one end into his mouth, appearing to suck it. 

‘Best to take a bite and chew that - slowly,’ said Joe, matching his words with the actions to demonstrate. They saw the pallor of Xavier’s face flush pink with pleasure.

‘Is all your food like this?’

‘Like what?’

‘The texture is interesting. It’s crisp and slightly oily at first, but then it’s soft and smooth as I chew it.’

‘There are many different textures and flavours of food,’ said Kim, ‘depending on what it is and how you prepare it. Keep going - try some fish next?’ She watched him carefully, until she was sure he could swallow without problems. She knew nothing of lab-grown clones and it was possible they had limitations with what she considered normal functions. Which set her worrying about waste disposal. He’d arrived seven hours ago, in a pristine carton, dressed in odd, but clean robes. As she finished her food, she made a mental note to get Joe to have a man-to-man chat with Xavier and go through a few things.