diff --git a/hawk/lib/mod-hawk.c b/hawk/lib/mod-hawk.c
index 4d9a7179..e7e0da84 100644
--- a/hawk/lib/mod-hawk.c
+++ b/hawk/lib/mod-hawk.c
@@ -214,7 +214,7 @@ static int fnc_function_exists (hawk_rtx_t* rtx, const hawk_fnc_info_t* fi)
 					/* hawk_query_module_with_name() may update some shared data under
 					 * the hawk object. use a mutex for shared data safety */
 					hawk_mtx_lock (&md->mq_mtx, HAWK_NULL);
-					rx = (hawk_querymodulewithname(hawk_rtx_gethawk(rtx), &name, &sym) != HAWK_NULL);
+					rx = (hawk_querymodulewithname(hawk_rtx_gethawk(rtx), name.ptr, &sym) != HAWK_NULL);
 					hawk_mtx_unlock (&md->mq_mtx);
 				}
 			}
diff --git a/hawk/lib/parse-prv.h b/hawk/lib/parse-prv.h
index 8a69c868..44e27c18 100644
--- a/hawk/lib/parse-prv.h
+++ b/hawk/lib/parse-prv.h
@@ -118,9 +118,9 @@ void hawk_clearsionames (
 
 
 hawk_mod_t* hawk_querymodulewithname (
-	hawk_t*            hawk,
-	const hawk_oocs_t* name,
-	hawk_mod_sym_t*    sym
+	hawk_t*          hawk,
+	hawk_ooch_t*     name, /* this must be a mutable null-terminated string */
+	hawk_mod_sym_t*  sym
 );
 
 #if defined(__cplusplus)
diff --git a/hawk/lib/parse.c b/hawk/lib/parse.c
index b29ab07c..2da06811 100644
--- a/hawk/lib/parse.c
+++ b/hawk/lib/parse.c
@@ -7555,43 +7555,34 @@ done:
 }
 
 
-hawk_mod_t* hawk_querymodulewithname (hawk_t* hawk, const hawk_oocs_t* name, hawk_mod_sym_t* sym)
+hawk_mod_t* hawk_querymodulewithname (hawk_t* hawk, hawk_ooch_t* name, hawk_mod_sym_t* sym)
 {
 	const hawk_ooch_t* dc;
 	hawk_oocs_t segs[2]; 
 	hawk_mod_t* mod;
+	hawk_oow_t name_len;
 	hawk_ooch_t tmp;
 
 /*TOOD: non-module builtin function? fnc? */
 
-	dc = hawk_find_oochars_in_oochars(name->ptr, name->len, HAWK_T("::"), 2, 0);
+	name_len = hawk_count_oocstr(name);
+	dc = hawk_find_oochars_in_oochars(name, name_len, HAWK_T("::"), 2, 0);
 	if (!dc) 
 	{
 		hawk_seterrfmt (hawk, HAWK_NULL, HAWK_EINVAL, HAWK_T("invalid module name -  %js"), name);
 		return HAWK_NULL;
 	}
 
-#if 1
-	segs[0].len = dc - name->ptr;
-	segs[0].ptr = hawk_dupoochars(hawk, name->ptr, segs[0].len);
-	if (!segs[0].ptr) return HAWK_NULL;
-#else
-	segs[0].len = dc - name->ptr;
-	segs[0].ptr = name->ptr;
-	tmp = name->ptr[segs[0].len];
-	name->ptr[segs[0].len] = '\0';
-#endif
+	segs[0].len = dc - name;
+	segs[0].ptr = name;
+	tmp = name[segs[0].len];
+	name[segs[0].len] = '\0';
 
-	segs[1].len = name->len - segs[0].len - 2;
-	segs[1].ptr = name->ptr + segs[0].len + 2;
+	segs[1].len = name_len - segs[0].len - 2;
+	segs[1].ptr = (hawk_ooch_t*)name + segs[0].len + 2;
 
 	mod = query_module(hawk, segs, 2, sym);
 
-#if 1
-	hawk_freemem (hawk, segs[0].ptr);
-#else
-	name->ptr[segs[0].len] = tmp;
-#endif
-
+	name[segs[0].len] = tmp;
 	return mod;
 }
diff --git a/hawk/lib/val.c b/hawk/lib/val.c
index 917be65e..dd467115 100644
--- a/hawk/lib/val.c
+++ b/hawk/lib/val.c
@@ -2863,7 +2863,7 @@ hawk_fnc_t* hawk_rtx_valtofnc (hawk_rtx_t* rtx, hawk_val_t* v, hawk_fnc_t* rfnc)
 				hawk_mod_t* mod;
 				hawk_mod_sym_t sym;
 
-				mod = hawk_querymodulewithname(hawk, &x, &sym);
+				mod = hawk_querymodulewithname(hawk, x.ptr, &sym);
 				hawk_rtx_freevaloocstr (rtx, v, x.ptr);
 				if (!mod) return HAWK_NULL;