def _get_nibbles(char):
    """
    A helper function for the decoding functions

    :return: The first ans second nibble of the ascii value of the char
    """
    try:
        x, y = hex(ord(char))[2:]
    except:
        # We get here with chars like \t
        # that translate to 0x9 (they "don't have" first and second nibble")
        x = '0'
        y = hex(ord(char))[2:]
    return x, y