"Hmph. Wait right here." The "here" was emphasised for effect. It was obvious the guard didn't trust Staccata further than he could throw her. Which probably wasn't very far. At any rate, he disappeared into a backroom for a few minutes and Staccata might be able to catch a few words of muted conversation.
The guard came out soon after, looking a little chagrined. "Lieutenant Stormcloak will see you shortly." And sure enough, the venerable white earth pony appeared in the room.
"Well?" he asked.
"It would be a nice change regardless, right?" Silverpine said, smiling. He was feeling a little cold himself now. The last vestiges of the sun disappeared over the horizon. "Anyway, shall we go down? Catching a cold now would probably drive Sunny up the wall."