[Frog] Mint Leaves and Blue Mage Question

[Rune]

Hello! I got the quest 'Djinni's Cavern' and the quest giver states "I've heard rumours that the djinni might become friendly again if offered peppermint leaves; so if you have any that could be an alternative way to deal with it." But I've never seen mint leaves or anything of the sort in game before. Is this an actual thing or just a King's Quest joke? And if they are in the game, how do I give them to the djinn?

Another thing: how the hell are you supposed to get a Blue Mage off the ground? I tried several times but I don't even know where to get low level spells. I tried waiting for novice mages or something outside Outpost, but it was fruitless. I just keep end up playing a sub par melee guy who dies quickly. Is Blue Mage a bad class or am I missing something? Thanks.