Jinx looks up from his writing. The sailor gives the small clump of people talking politics an almost bashful look.. "I couldn't help but overhear.. if y'don't mind hearin' the opinion of an amateur..?"
If there's only the slightest bit of assent from any of them, the mercenary immediately drops the polite modesty and launches into a long monologue. "Look, um.. ah, pike it, there's just no way to say this politely. That speech was a bleedin' disaster. Visually impressive 'n all, heavy on the theatrics and prophecies of doom and whatnot, but very light on hard proof. Didn't even feature as much as an account on how you learned all this."
"It didn't even convince me, and I'm supposed to be on your side."
"On top o' that, it seems to me like Rivenblight, possibly Hendralia too, ain't even goin' to listen to proof if it's comin' from your mouth, or if they think it's comin' from your mouth by way of someone else. No matter how sweet their words, or how pretty their face. They're especially not goin' to do what you say they should do, just 'cause you said it. So. I think it's time to start playin' political hardball, right off the bat."
There's real zest in Jinx' voice as he speaks, and he accompanies it with spirited gestures. He's obviously just an amateur in the political arena, but certainly one of the more enthusiastic ones. "Think about what it is you want - because right now, that ain't all clear to me either - and ways of gettin' these folk to do it. F'r example, d'you want an army? Then it'd be stupid to ask the obstinate folk outright. Instead, you just inform 'em that you only need to convince one o'the nations to increase its strikin' power. The other ones'd have to follow suit in any case, 'cause they can't afford to slip down 'n the balance of power.. and given the bloody huge expense of armin' up, the cost of openin' some fast lines of communication between the nations just 'n case there's any truth to that lich-wyrm talk 'll be small money, no? And then you're almost there."
"Course, I may have seen it all wrong," he concludes, shrugging modestly and grinning a sort of self-deprecating grin. "But I still figure it's the way to go."